Feb 17, 2020

Chart of the Week: How does monthly take-home pay vary in major U.S. cities?

Hat tip to Jessica for finding this chart at Howmuch.net

Methodology: Take-home pay calculated after deductions for federal and state income taxes and Social Security/Medicare taxes. 

Questions:

  • Since federal taxes are consistent across all of these cities, the difference in take-home pay is driven by differences in state income tax rates. What is the difference between the cities with the highest take-home pay and the cities with the lowest take-home pay (in dollars)? 
  • A $100,000 salary means that an individual's gross pay will be about $8,333 per month. How much will be deducted from the gross pay in your state to get the take-home pay you see in the map? 
  • Would you ever make a decision to live in a certain state because of their income tax rates? If not now, would there be a time in your life where this might matter more? 

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Thanks to NGPF super intern Ansh for compiling the last 20+ Charts of the Week in this document. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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