Skip to content

Taxes In California

California Tax Rates, Collections, and Burdens

How does California’s tax code compare? California has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 1.00 percent to 13.30 percent. California has a 8.84 percent corporate income tax rate. California has a 7.25 percent state sales tax rate, a max local sales tax rate of 4.75 percent, and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 8.85 percent. California has the highest gas tax rate in the nation at 77.90 cents per gallon. California’s tax system ranks 48th overall on our 2024 State Business Tax Climate Index.

Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and California is no exception. The first step towards understanding California’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does California 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: How Does Your State Compare?

See Related Articles

Tax Data by State

Get facts about taxes in your state and around the U.S.

Explore Data

State Tax Data

Individual Taxes

Top Individual Income Tax Rate
13.3%See Full Study
State Local Individual Income Tax Collections per Capita
$3729Rank: 1
State and Local Tax Burden
11.5%Rank: 43See Full Study

Business Taxes

Top Corporate Income Tax Rate
8.84%See Full Study
State Business Tax Climate Index Ranking
48See Full Study

Sales Taxes

State Sales Tax Rate
7.25%Rank: 1See Full Study
Average Local Sales Tax Rate
1.6%See Full Study
Combined State and Average Local Sales Tax Rate
8.85%Rank: 8See Full Study
State and Local General Sales Tax Collections per Capita
$1498Rank: 15
State Gasoline Tax Rate (cents per gallon)
77.90¢Rank: 1
State Cigarette Tax Rate (dollars per 20-pack)
$2.87Rank: 2

Property Taxes

Property Taxes Paid as a Percentage of Owner-Occupied Housing Value
0.75%Rank: 33
State and Local Property Tax Collections Per Capita
$1955Rank: 15

All Related Articles

2024 state capital gains tax rates on long term capital gains

State Tax Rates on Long-Term Capital Gains, 2024

Savings and investment are critical activities, both for individuals’ and families’ financial security and for the health of the national economy as a whole. As such, policymakers should consider how they can help mitigate—rather than add to—tax codes’ biases against saving and investment.  

5 min read
latest state tax trends and state tax cuts revenue implications include responsible state income tax relief in 2024

Can States Afford Their Recent Tax Cuts?

With state tax revenues receding from all-time highs, there’s been a great deal of handwringing about whether states can afford the tax cuts adopted over the past few years. Given that 27 states reduced the rate of a major tax between 2021 and 2023, is there reason for concern?

4 min read
Economic Nexus Tax Treatment by State, 2024

Economic Nexus Treatment by State, 2024

Reforming economic nexus thresholds would not only be better for businesses but for states as well. It is more cost-effective for states to focus on—and simplify—compliance for a reasonable number of sellers than to impose rules that have low compliance and are costly to administer. 

4 min read
state flat tax trend and state flat income taxes 2024

The State Flat Tax Revolution: Where Things Stand Today

In 2021 and 2022 alone, more states enacted laws converting graduated-rate individual income tax structures into single-rate income tax structures than did so in the whole 108-year history of state income taxation up until that point.

10 min read