$150,000 Income (2010)
| RANK | CITY | STATE | TAXES PAID | PERCENT |
| 1 | Bridgeport | CT | $23,655 | 15.8% |
| 2 | New York City | NY | $18,077 | 12.1% |
| 3 | Louisville | KY | $17,458 | 11.6% |
| 4 | Philadelphia | PA | $16,302 | 10.9% |
| 5 | Portland | ME | $16,297 | 10.9% |
| 6 | Detroit | MI | $16,109 | 10.7% |
| 7 | Columbus | OH | $15,928 | 10.6% |
| 8 | Los Angeles | CA | $15,539 | 10.4% |
| 9 | Des Moines | IA | $15,499 | 10.3% |
| 10 | Baltimore | MD | $15,180 | 10.1% |
| 11 | Charlotte | NC | $15,002 | 10.0% |
| 12 | Atlanta | GA | $14,861 | 9.9% |
| 13 | Kansas City | MO | $14,741 | 9.8% |
| 14 | Milwaukee | WI | $14,698 | 9.8% |
| 15 | Providence | RI | $14,604 | 9.7% |
| 16 | Omaha | NE | $14,267 | 9.5% |
| 17 | Minneapolis | MN | $14,258 | 9.5% |
| 18 | Portland | OR | $14,100 | 9.4% |
| 19 | Columbia | SC | $13,848 | 9.2% |
| 20 | Jackson | MS | $13,506 | 9.0% |
| 21 | Washington | DC | $13,330 | 8.9% |
| 22 | Boise | ID | $13,262 | 8.8% |
| 23 | Salt Lake City | UT | $13,168 | 8.8% |
| 24 | Little Rock | AR | $13,168 | 8.8% |
| 25 | Wichita | KS | $13,115 | 8.7% |
| 26 | Burlington | VT | $12,947 | 8.6% |
| 27 | Wilmington | DE | $12,947 | 8.6% |
| 28 | Indianapolis | IN | $12,787 | 8.5% |
| 29 | Charleston | WV | $12,644 | 8.4% |
| 30 | Birmingham | AL | $12,467 | 8.3% |
| 31 | Boston | MA | $12,426 | 8.3% |
| 32 | Newark | NJ | $11,921 | 7.9% |
| 33 | Honolulu | HI | $11,506 | 7.7% |
| 34 | Oklahoma City | OK | $11,419 | 7.6% |
| 35 | Albuquerque | NM | $11,386 | 7.6% |
| 36 | Virginia Beach | VA | $11,205 | 7.5% |
| 37 | Chicago | IL | $11,152 | 7.4% |
| 38 | Billings | MT | $10,877 | 7.3% |
| 39 | Denver | CO | $10,693 | 7.1% |
| 40 | Phoenix | AZ | $9,748 | 6.5% |
| 41 | New Orleans | LA | $9,338 | 6.2% |
| 42 | Fargo | ND | $7,990 | 5.3% |
| 43 | Seattle | WA | $6,502 | 4.3% |
| 44 | Houston | TX | $6,310 | 4.2% |
| 45 | Manchester | NH | $6,159 | 4.1% |
| 46 | Memphis | TN | $6,092 | 4.1% |
| 47 | Las Vegas | NV | $5,836 | 3.9% |
| 48 | Jacksonville | FL | $5,797 | 3.9% |
| 49 | Sioux Falls | SD | $5,647 | 3.8% |
| 50 | Cheyenne | WY | $4,560 | 3.0% |
| 51 | Anchorage | AK | $4,133 | 2.8% |
I'm just sayin'...
Every year, as a kinda defensive maneuver, the District of Columbia compares itself to the largest city in each state, ranked by tax burden. In 2010, the latest year for which data is available, the median national tax burden on a typical family of three earning $150,000 a year was 8.6 percent, twice the rate in Seattle.
Think about that. If we were taxed at the median national rate, we'd have about twice the tax revenue to pay for schools, streets, ferries, police, parks, the poor, the sick, the elderly, and everything else we value here in Washington state.
Of course, thanks to this Washington's absurdly regressive tax structure, the lower you go on the income scale, the higher Seattle climbs up the national ranks.
| INCOME | RANK | TAXES PAID | PERCENT |
| $25,000 | 18 | $2,825 | 11.3% |
| $50,000 | 29 | $4,021 | 8.0% |
| $75,000 | 39 | $5,173 | 6.9% |
| $100,000 | 42 | $5,651 | 5.7% |
| $150,000 | 43 | $6,502 | 4.3% |
But overall, across all income levels, Seattle ranks 42nd in state and local tax burden. So are our taxes too high? Fuck no! At least not compared to most of the rest of nation.
Just a little something to chew on as the House Ways and Means Committee holds a hearing on whether to tax the rich.
