Wisconsin has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 3.50 percent to 7.65 percent. Wisconsin has a flat 7.90 percent corporate income tax rate, a 5.00 percent state sales tax rate, and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 5.72 percent. Wisconsin has a 1.32 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value. Wisconsin does not have an estate tax or inheritance tax. Wisconsin’s gas tax is 32.9 cents per gallon, and its cigarette excise tax is $2.52 per pack of 20 cigarettes.
Wisconsin raises tax revenue primarily through property taxes (30.6 percent of total state and local tax revenue), individual income taxes (25.8 percent), and general sales taxes (22.6 percent). Wisconsin collects $6,030 in state and local tax collections per capita, carries $9,371 in state and local debt per capita, and has a 106 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Wisconsin’s tax system ranks 21st overall on the 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Wisconsin is no exception. Use the tabs below to compare Wisconsin taxes with other states and to see how Wisconsin raises tax revenue. You can also browse our tax maps, which are compiled from our annual publication, Facts & Figures 2026: 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.
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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.
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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?
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Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for nearly a quarter of combined state and local tax collections.
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Forty-four states levy a corporate income tax, with top rates ranging from a 2 percent flat rate in North Carolina to an 11.5 percent top marginal rate in New Jersey. Four states—Georgia, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania—reduced their corporate income tax rates effective January 1, 2026.
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Property taxes are the primary tool for financing local governments. While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, property taxes are largely rooted in the benefit principle of taxation: the people paying the property tax bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services.
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The six counties with the highest median property tax payments all have bills exceeding $10,000—Bergen, Essex, and Union Counties in New Jersey, and Nassau, Rockland, and Westchester counties in New York. All six are near New York City, as is the next highest, Passaic County, New Jersey ($9,881).
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It is important to understand how the SALT deduction’s benefits have changed since the SALT cap was put into place in 2018 before repealing the cap or making the deduction more generous. Doing so would disproportionately benefit higher earners, making the tax code more regressive.
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Neither Anchorage, Alaska, nor Portland, Oregon, impose any state or local sales taxes. Honolulu, Hawaii, has a low rate of 4.5 percent and several other major cities, including Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, keep overall rates modest.
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As states close their books for fiscal year 2021, many have much more revenue on hand than they anticipated last year. Eleven states have responded by reducing income tax rates and making related structural reforms as they strive to solidify a competitive advantage in an increasingly competitive national landscape.
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Reducing the second-highest individual income tax rate, repealing the TPP tax, and freezing UI tax rates are three valuable reforms that would help promote a smooth economic recovery in Wisconsin while setting the state up for robust economic growth for years to come.
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As Wisconsin emerges from the pandemic, state policymakers have a rare opportunity to reinvest excess revenues in a structurally sound manner that will make the state more attractive to individuals and businesses, promote a quicker and more robust economic recovery, and put the state on the path to increased in-state investment and growth for many years to come.
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Krispy Kreme may have started the vaccine incentive ball rolling, but many states are putting big money into the effort with vaccine lotteries. Unlike a normal lottery, no one is paying for tickets—but the tax collector still gets paid when someone wins.
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State taxation of GILTI is unconventional and economically uncompetitive and will become even more so if the federal government adopts a more aggressive approach to taxing GILTI, as outlined in the American Jobs Plan Act.
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A landmark comparison of corporate tax costs in all 50 states, Location Matters provides a comprehensive calculation of real-world tax burdens, going beyond headline rates to demonstrate how tax codes impact businesses and offering policymakers a road map to improvement.
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Tax cut legislation is not just a red state phenomenon, and tax reductions come in many forms other than rate reductions. The American Rescue Plan Act’s state tax cuts limitation is a problem for more states than you think.
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