Every state has a different taxing strategy. Those that get a heavy dose of tourism tend to rely on sales taxes, while others lean harder on oil drillers and coal miners operating in the state. The list below reveals the top tax revenue for each state, along with the percentage it contributes to the total tax collection. Income tax figures include individual income taxes and corporate net income taxes. We also show the states that tax groceries. The data come from the U.S. Census and the Tax Foundation.

Tax burden by state

State Top tax revenue % of total Food tax?
Alabama Sales and excise taxes 50.8 Yes
Alaska Natural resource taxes 78.3 No
Arizona Sales and excise taxes 60.9 No
Arkansas Sales and excise taxes 46.8 Yes
California Income taxes 55.8 No
Colorado Income taxes 55.0 No
Connecticut Income taxes 52.0 No
Delaware Income taxes 43.0 No
Florida Sales and excise taxes 82.5 No
Georgia Income taxes 53.8 No
Hawaii Sales and excise taxes 64.5 Yes
Idaho Sales and excise taxes 49.5 Yes
Illinois Income taxes 54.2 Yes
Indiana Sales and excise taxes 60.8 No
Iowa Income taxes 46.2 No
Kansas Sales and excise taxes 49.1 Yes
Kentucky Sales and excise taxes 47.3 No
Louisiana Sales and excise taxes 53.9 No
Maine Sales and excise taxes 45.8 No
Maryland Income taxes 47.7 No
Massachusetts Income taxes 61.8 No
Michigan Sales and excise taxes 48.9 No
Minnesota Income taxes 49.0 No
Mississippi Sales and excise taxes 61.8 Yes
Missouri Income taxes 51.7 Yes
Montana Income taxes 46.0 No
Nebraska Income taxes 50.4 No
Nevada Sales and excise taxes 77.8 No
New Hampshire Sales and excise taxes 39.9 No
New Jersey Income taxes 49.5 No
New Mexico Sales and excise taxes 51.0 No
New York Income taxes 61.3 No
North Carolina Income taxes 52.0 No
North Dakota Natural resource taxes 46.4 No
Ohio Sales and excise taxes 49.9 No
Oklahoma Sales and excise taxes 43.3 Yes
Oregon Income taxes 73.4 No
Pennsylvania Sales and excise taxes 50.4 No
Rhode Island Sales and excise taxes 51.6 No
South Carolina Sales and excise taxes 51.3 No
South Dakota Sales and excise taxes 80.1 Yes
Tennessee Sales and excise taxes 73.8 Yes
Texas Sales and excise taxes 76.0 No
Utah Income taxes 50.3 Yes
Vermont Sales and excise taxes 34.2 No
Virginia Income taxes 60.8 Yes
Washington Sales and excise taxes 78.5 No
West Virginia Sales and excise taxes 48.0 Yes
Wisconsin Income taxes 49.5 No
Wyoming Natural resource taxes 39.9 No