
SmartAsset
1 / 3States where the 1% income threshold is highest
- New Jersey overtakes New York. New York ranked No. 3 in last year's edition, with residents needing $777,126 to be a top 1% taxpayer, while New Jersey followed with $760,462. This year, New Jersey outpaces New York's top 1% by $8,168.
- In this one state, you'll need to earn more than $900,000 to be in the top 1%. That state is Connecticut. The top 1% of taxpayers here have the highest average tax burden (27.77%). Residents in the next highest state need roughly $58,300 less to be a top 1% taxpayer.
- Roughly $374,700 will put you in the top 1% in West Virginia – the lowest threshold across the country. Mississippi follows, where taxpayers will need roughly $383,100 to be a top 1% taxpayer. There are just 11 additional states that require less than $500,000 to be in the top 1%.
1. Connecticut
The Constitution State takes the No. 1 spot once again. Here, residents would need to earn roughly $955,000 to be in the top 1% of taxpayers. That makes it the only state requiring more than $900,000. Connecticut residents need to earn at least $336,800 to fall into the top 5%. Both groups have a tax burden that exceeds 24%, with the top 1% seeing a rate of 27.77% on average.
2. Massachusetts
Residents in Massachusetts need to earn just under $900,000 to be in the top 1% of taxpayers. This group accounts for roughly 38.12% of all income taxes paid in the state and is typically taxed at a rate of 26.46%. The income cutoff for falling into the top 5% is $547,000 less than the top 1% cutoff.
3. New Jersey
The threshold to be a top 1% taxpayer in the Garden State is $825,965. For the top 5%, the lower limit sits at $338,884. New Jersey residents within the top 5% account for 55.60% of the state's income taxes, with the top 1% making up 33.58%.
4. New York
New York residents earning over $817,796 are considered top 1% taxpayers, while the threshold for the top 5% is much lower at $287,752. The top 1% of taxpayers in the Empire State are taxed at an average rate of 27.48%, which is the second-highest across the country. This group also accounts for 45.59% of the entire state's total income taxes (fourth-highest).
5. California
The most populous state in the country has the fifth-highest threshold to be a top 1% taxpayer ($805,519, which is also the last state to exceed $800,000). California residents earning beyond this threshold are taxed at an average rate of 26.78% (fifth-highest) and account for roughly 39% of total income tax in the state. To be a top 5% taxpayer in the Golden State, a resident would need to earn almost $317,800.










