Taxes

California vs Texas: Total Tax Burden

Texas has a lower total tax burden than California.

California

CA · West

9.24%

Total state and local tax burden (property, income, and sales and excise taxes) as a percentage of personal income (WalletHub 2026).

Texas

TX · South

Winner

7.69%

Total state and local tax burden (property, income, and sales and excise taxes) as a percentage of personal income (WalletHub 2026).

Visual comparison

California9.24%

Texas7.69%

Difference: 1.55 percentage points — Texas leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for total tax burden.

California #40 · 9.24%

Texas #15 · 7.69%

Best Worst

10 Best States — Total Tax Burden

Lower is better

Alaska

4.92%

New Hampshire

5.38%

Tennessee

6.21%

Florida

6.27%

Delaware

6.28%

South Dakota

6.38%

Wyoming

6.70%

North Dakota

7.02%

Idaho

7.04%

#10

Oklahoma

7.05%

Selected states

#40

California

9.24%

#15

Texas

7.69%

California ranks 40th and Texas ranks 15th nationally for total tax burden.

What this means