State tax compare,
two states at once.
See exactly how much more (or less) you'd take home as a freelancer if you lived in one state vs another. Federal + SE tax stay the same; state tax is the variable.
Your numbers
Why state matters more than you think.
For a freelancer, federal income tax + 15.3% self-employment tax stay the same in every state. The variable is state income tax — and it ranges from 0% (TX, FL, NV, WA, TN, NH, SD, AK, WY) to 13.3% (California top bracket).
That spread is real money. A $150,000 freelancer in California vs Texas keeps roughly $10,000-12,000 more per year in Texas — for the same gross income, same federal taxes, just no state income tax.
This calculator uses an effective state tax rate (a single average that approximates each state's progressive bracket impact at typical freelancer incomes). For an exact bracket-by-bracket calculation in a specific state, see our state-by-state pages.
What's NOT in this comparison
- Cost of living. Texas saves you state tax, but California rent might more than offset it. Use Numbeo or Nerdwallet COL calculators to layer that on.
- City taxes. NYC adds ~3-4% on top of NY state tax. Philadelphia and SF have local taxes too. Not modeled here.
- Sales tax / property tax. States without income tax often make up for it elsewhere (Texas property tax is high, Tennessee sales tax is high).
- State-specific deductions. Some states allow QBI, some don't (CA, NY, MA don't). Our calc applies state rate to taxable income post-QBI as a simplification.