Washington tax burden — broken down.
Washington’s combined tax burden (income + property + sales) lands at 7.48% on our composite — ranking #43 of 51 jurisdictions. Washington levies no state income tax — burden comes entirely from property and sales taxes.
Washington burden, broken into 3 components
| Component | Washington rate | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Top marginal income | 0.00% | ~5.30% |
| Effective property | 0.98% | ~1.07% |
| State sales tax | 6.50% | ~5.50% |
| Combined composite | 7.48% | ~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 Washington
Washington does NOT tax most retirement income (pensions, IRA / 401(k) distributions). Social Security benefits are NOT taxed by Washington. Federal taxation of these income sources is unchanged regardless of state.
How Washington compares
Of all 51 US jurisdictions ranked by combined burden composite, Washington sits at #43. That puts Washington in the bottom 10 lowest-burden states — high-earners frequently move here from CA/NY for the income-tax savings, even when factoring property/sales tradeoffs. For the live cross-state heat map, see the interactive tax burden map.
Washington metros — local tax overlay
State rates are uniform across Washington— 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.
- Seattleproperty 0.92% · pop 4.1Mmedian $102,900 →
- Spokaneproperty 0.92% · pop 0.6Mmedian $59,200 →
- Kennewickproperty 0.92% · pop 0.3Mmedian $66,400 →
- Kentproperty 1.00% · pop 0.1Mmedian $75,800 →
- Tacomaproperty 1.10% · pop 0.2Mmedian $62,500 →
- Lakewoodproperty 1.10% · pop 0.1Mmedian $52,800 →
- Bellinghamproperty 1.00% · pop 0.1Mmedian $58,500 →
More Washington metros coming as we expand city coverage.
Washington tax — common questions
What is the Washington top marginal income tax rate in 2025?
Washington levies no state income tax. Top marginal rate is 0%.
What is the Washington effective property tax rate?
Washington's statewide effective property tax rate is 0.98% of home value (annual). On a $400,000 home that's roughly $3,920/yr. Local variation can be ±0.5pp.
Does Washington tax retirement income or Social Security?
Washington does NOT tax most retirement income, and does NOT tax Social Security benefits.
Are there any Washington-specific tax quirks I should know about?
No state income tax on wages. WA passed a 7% capital gains tax (2022, upheld 2023) on long-term gains over ~$250k — the only "income"-style tax WA imposes. Estate tax exemption $2.193M (low).
Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial · Source: Tax Foundation State Individual Income Tax Rates (Jan 2025). Last verified 2026-04-19. Methodology at /about/editorial.