How the calculator works
- Each offer’s pay: salary plus any yearly bonus.
- Tax on each: the same rules as our paycheck calculator: federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, state income tax and payroll programs, and city or county income tax where you choose one.
- The difference: take-home pay for each offer, the difference a month and a year, and the tax lines that explain it.
- The salary that matches: the salary the second offer needs, in its own state and with its own bonus, to leave you with the same take-home pay as the first.
The salary that matches a job in Texas
$100,000 in Texas leaves $79,180 a year after tax. To take home the same, you’d need:
| Job in | Take-home on $100,000 | Salary to match | More pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $79,180 | $100,000 | – |
| Washington | $77,793 | $102,012 | 2.0% |
| Arizona | $77,083 | $103,092 | 3.1% |
| Pennsylvania | $76,040 | $104,673 | 4.7% |
| North Carolina | $75,699 | $105,247 | 5.2% |
| Colorado | $75,048 | $106,307 | 6.3% |
| Georgia | $74,939 | $106,490 | 6.5% |
| Illinois | $74,375 | $107,348 | 7.3% |
| New Jersey | $74,390 | $107,538 | 7.5% |
| Virginia | $74,244 | $107,641 | 7.6% |
| Massachusetts | $73,940 | $108,076 | 8.1% |
| New York, outside NYC | $73,877 | $108,239 | 8.2% |
| California | $72,969 | $110,395 | 10.4% |
| Philadelphia | $72,303 | $110,836 | 10.8% |
| Oregon | $71,332 | $113,319 | 13.3% |
| New York City | $70,702 | $114,065 | 14.1% |
For a single filer with no bonus or pre-tax deductions. New York City needs the most, because its city income tax comes on top of New York State’s, followed by Oregon, whose state taxes take more of this salary than any other state’s.
Why a raise can shrink after tax
Moving from a state with no income tax to a high-tax state or city can take a large part of a raise. On the default example, a 20% higher salary in New York City becomes about 4.5% more take-home pay after New York State and New York City income tax. For every state’s rates, see state income tax rates.
Beyond the salary
- 401(k) match: check the vesting schedule too; leave early and you may lose some of it.
- Health insurance: compare the premium, the deductible and the out-of-pocket maximum, not just the premium.
- Paid time off and holidays.
- Bonus: ask how it’s decided and how much was actually paid in recent years.
- Equity: restricted stock units (RSUs) are taxed as pay when they vest, and what they’re worth depends on the share price.
- Commute or remote work: the time and the cost.
Living costs aren’t included. Once you know each offer’s take-home pay, compare it with what rent or a mortgage would cost in each place. To see one salary in every state, use take-home pay by state.