With Tax Day approaching on April 15, personal-finance company WalletHub has released its 2026 Tax Burden by State report, along with commentary from experts. The report takes a comprehensive look at how much residents across the country pay in state and local taxes.
To determine which states place the heaviest burden on taxpayers, WalletHub compared all 50 states across three key categories: property taxes, individual income taxes, and sales and excise taxes. Each category was analyzed as a percentage of total personal income to create a more accurate picture of what residents are actually paying.
Maryland ranks 7th overall in the nation, with a total tax burden of 9.70%, placing it among the states with the highest overall tax impact on residents. A closer look at the data shows that Maryland’s high ranking is largely driven by its individual income taxes, where the state ranks 3rd in the country at 4.28%. Meanwhile, property taxes are more middle-of-the-pack, ranking 29th at 2.54%.
Sales and excise taxes in Maryland rank among the lower tiers nationally, coming in at 40th with a burden of 2.88%. Another measure included in the report places Maryland 26th in total sales and excise tax burden at 3.46%, reflecting slight variations depending on how those taxes are calculated.
For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494
