How does Wisconsin’s tax code compare? Wisconsin has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 3.50 percent to 7.65 percent. Wisconsin has a 7.9 percent corporate income tax rate. Wisconsin also has a 5.00 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 5.70 percent. Wisconsin has a 1.38 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value.
Wisconsin does not have an estate tax or inheritance tax. Wisconsin has a 32.9 cents per gallon gas tax rate and a $2.52 cigarette excise tax rate. The State of Wisconsin collects $5,700 in state and local tax collections per capita. Wisconsin has $8,464 in state and local debt per capita and has a 100 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Wisconsin’s tax system ranks 19th overall on the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Wisconsin is no exception. The first step towards understanding Wisconsin’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does Wisconsin collect tax revenue? Click the tabs below to learn more! You can also explore our state tax maps, which are compiled from our annual publication, Facts & Figures 2024: How Does Your State Compare?
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The State Tax Competitiveness Index enables policymakers, taxpayers, and business leaders to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare. While there are many ways to show how much state governments collect in taxes, the Index evaluates how well states structure their tax systems and provides a road map for improvement.
115 min read
Facts & Figures serves as a one-stop state tax data resource that compares all 50 states on over 40 measures of tax rates, collections, burdens, and more.
2 min read
Tax burdens rose across the country as pandemic-era economic changes caused taxable income, activities, and property values to rise faster than net national product. Tax burdens in 2020, 2021, and 2022 are all higher than in any other year since 1978.
24 min read
Individual income taxes are a major source of state government revenue, accounting for more than a third of state tax collections. How do income taxes compare in your state?
8 min read
Graduated corporate rates are inequitable—that is, the size of a corporation bears no necessary relation to the income levels of the owners.
7 min read
Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for 32 percent of state tax collections and 13 percent of local tax collections (24 percent of combined collections).
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The coronavirus relief package represents the second-largest recovery legislation, behind only the CARES Act, for a combined total of more than $3 trillion in support.
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On Monday, members of the bipartisan Gang of Eight negotiating an end-of-year pandemic relief package announced that they had settled on language and had divided the package into two bills: a pandemic aid package and a $160 billion state and local support package.
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President Joe Biden’s tax plan would yield combined top marginal state and local rates in excess of 60 percent in three states: California, Hawaii, and New Jersey (also New York City).
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State tax revenue collections were down 5.5 percent in FY 2020, driven by a dismal final quarter (April through June) as states began to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While these early losses are certainly not desirable, they are manageable and far better than many feared.
16 min read
From a revenue standpoint, Wisconsin was better off than many states going into this crisis, but the policy decisions—including tax policy decisions—state policymakers make in the months ahead will have far-reaching implications for how quickly jobs and wages are restored in Wisconsin.
7 min read
Nineteen states had notable tax changes take effect on July 1, 2020. Pandemic-shortened sessions contributed to less—and different—activity on the tax front than is seen in most years, and will likely yield an unusually active summer and autumn, with many legislatures considering new measures during special sessions.
12 min read