Illinois tax burden — broken down.
Illinois’s combined tax burden (income + property + sales) lands at 13.43% on our composite — ranking #14 of 51 jurisdictions. The top marginal individual income tax rate is 4.95%.
Illinois burden, broken into 3 components
| Component | Illinois rate | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Top marginal income | 4.95% | ~5.30% |
| Effective property | 2.23% | ~1.07% |
| State sales tax | 6.25% | ~5.50% |
| Combined composite | 13.43% | ~11.87% |
National medians from CalcFi’s 51-state composite. Top marginal is the headline single-filer rate, NOT the effective rate most households actually pay.
Retirement + Social Security in Illinois
Illinois does NOT tax most retirement income (pensions, IRA / 401(k) distributions). Social Security benefits are NOT taxed by Illinois. Federal taxation of these income sources is unchanged regardless of state.
How Illinois compares
Of all 51 US jurisdictions ranked by combined burden composite, Illinois sits at #14. That places Illinois in the middle of the pack — burden is moderate without being a particular outlier in either direction. For the live cross-state heat map, see the interactive tax burden map.
Illinois metros — local tax overlay
State rates are uniform across Illinois— but local income, property, and sales taxes vary. Click any metro to run the full income tax calculator pre-populated with that city’s local layer.
- Chicagoproperty 2.10% · pop 9.6Mmedian $70,100 →
- Rockfordproperty 2.20% · pop 0.3Mmedian $51,000 →
- Peoriaproperty 2.20% · pop 0.4Mmedian $57,800 →
- Napervilleproperty 2.20% · pop 0.1Mmedian $125,800 →
- Jolietproperty 2.40% · pop 0.1Mmedian $68,500 →
More Illinois metros coming as we expand city coverage.
Illinois tax — common questions
What is the Illinois top marginal income tax rate in 2025?
Illinois's top marginal individual income tax rate is 4.95% on the highest bracket.
What is the Illinois effective property tax rate?
Illinois's statewide effective property tax rate is 2.23% of home value (annual). On a $400,000 home that's roughly $8,920/yr. Local variation can be ±0.5pp.
Does Illinois tax retirement income or Social Security?
Illinois does NOT tax most retirement income, and does NOT tax Social Security benefits.
Are there any Illinois-specific tax quirks I should know about?
Illinois has the 2nd-highest effective property tax rate in the US (2.07%) — a $300k home pays ~$6,200/yr; Cook County reassessments triennially shock-spike bills.
For the full Illinois state tax breakdown — every bracket, every deduction, all the edge cases — read our deep Illinois state tax guide →
Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial · Source: Tax Foundation State Individual Income Tax Rates (Jan 2025). Last verified 2026-04-19. Methodology at /about/editorial.