How much money do you have to pay in taxes over a lifetime?
This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, maps the estimated lifetime tax bill for a single filer in every U.S. state, including federal and state income taxes, as well as sales, property, and vehicle taxes.
The data for this visualization comes from Self Financial, with estimates as of June 2026.
The analysis assumes a 45-year working life with constant earnings and tax rates, a life expectancy of 79.6 years, homeownership beginning at age 40, and ownership of five vehicles over a lifetime.
New Jersey Tops the Ranking
New Jersey has the highest estimated lifetime tax bill in the country at $1.36 million.
Rank State Lifetime taxes per person 1 New Jersey $1,359,406 2 Massachusetts $1,297,130 3 Connecticut $1,249,749 4 New Hampshire $1,125,478 5 New York $1,084,561 6 California $1,075,061 7 Maryland $1,060,255 8 Illinois $1,033,447 9 Minnesota $1,018,872 10 Rhode Island $999,704 11 Vermont $953,322 12 Virginia $911,706 13 Wisconsin $851,139 14 Colorado $839,899 15 Pennsylvania $835,067 16 Washington $816,217 17 Oregon $775,976 18 Nebraska $761,072 19 Maine $758,818 20 Michigan $753,076 21 Delaware $731,824 22 Iowa $730,349 23 Kansas $711,966 24 Utah $709,803 25 Alaska
