DigestYourFinances

Data study · taxes

Sales Tax by State

Every state’s sales-tax rate, ranked from the highest at 7.25% down to the 5 states with no statewide sales tax, plus what you really pay once local taxes are added in each state’s biggest cities.

  • Highest state rate 7.25% CA
  • No sales tax 5 states AK, DE, MT, NH, OR
  • Average state rate 5.02% all 51, incl. 0%
  • Highest big-city rate 11.975% Kansas City, MO
Look up the rate for your ZIP →

Every state’s sales tax, ranked

All 51 jurisdictions, highest state rate first. The dark bar is the statewide rate; the lighter extension is the extra local tax in the state’s largest city, so the full bar is what a shopper there pays. Every name links to that state’s breakdown.

  • State rate
  • Local add-on, largest city
  1. California 7.25%
  2. Indiana 7%
  3. Mississippi 7%
  4. Rhode Island 7%
  5. Tennessee 7%
  6. Minnesota 6.875%
  7. New Jersey 6.625%
  8. Arkansas 6.5%
  9. Kansas 6.5%
  10. Washington 6.5%
  11. Connecticut 6.35%
  12. Illinois 6.25%
  13. Massachusetts 6.25%
  14. Texas 6.25%
  15. District of Columbia 6%
  16. Florida 6%
  17. Idaho 6%
  18. Iowa 6%
  19. Kentucky 6%
  20. Maryland 6%
  21. Michigan 6%
  22. Pennsylvania 6%
  23. South Carolina 6%
  24. Vermont 6%
  25. West Virginia 6%
  26. Ohio 5.75%
  27. Arizona 5.6%
  28. Maine 5.5%
  29. Nebraska 5.5%
  30. Louisiana 5%
  31. North Dakota 5%
  32. Wisconsin 5%
  33. New Mexico 4.875%
  34. Utah 4.85%
  35. North Carolina 4.75%
  36. Nevada 4.6%
  37. Oklahoma 4.5%
  38. Virginia 4.3%
  39. Missouri 4.225%
  40. South Dakota 4.2%
  41. Alabama 4%
  42. Georgia 4%
  43. Hawaii 4%
  44. New York 4%
  45. Wyoming 4%
  46. Colorado 2.9%
  47. Alaska 0%
  48. Delaware 0%
  49. Montana 0%
  50. New Hampshire 0%
  51. Oregon 0%

US state sales-tax rates + combined local rates for major cities — via APIVerve · rates as of September 2026.

How sales tax works across the states

There is no national sales tax in the United States. Each state decides whether to tax retail purchases and at what rate, and most then let counties, cities and special districts (transit or stadium authorities, for example) add their own tax on top. The rate at the register is the sum of all of them, which is why the ranking above shows two numbers for each state: the statewide base and the extra local tax in its largest city.

The highest sales tax states

California has the highest statewide rate at 7.25%, followed by Indiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Tennessee at 7%. A high base rate doesn’t always mean the highest bill, though. States with modest base rates can end up near the top once local taxes stack up: the highest combined rate among the cities in this study is 11.975% in Kansas City, Missouri.

States with no sales tax

Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon don’t charge a statewide sales tax. These states fund their budgets in other ways, such as income, property or resource taxes, and a few still allow local sales taxes, so a rate of 0% statewide isn’t always 0% at the store. Check the state pages below for the local rates in their major cities.

The highest combined rates in major cities

These are the highest combined rates (state plus local) among the major cities sampled for this study, one downtown ZIP code each:

CityState rateCombined rate
Kansas City, MO 4.225% 11.975%
St. Louis, MO 4.225% 11.679%
Fayetteville, AR 6.5% 10.75%
Baton Rouge, LA 5% 10.5%
Seattle, WA 6.5% 10.25%
Chicago, IL 6.25% 10.25%
New Orleans, LA 5% 10.245%
Birmingham, AL 4% 10%
Montgomery, AL 4% 10%
Memphis, TN 7% 9.75%

What sales tax adds to a purchase

Sales tax is a percentage of the price, so it grows with the purchase. On a $1,000 purchase, a 4% combined rate adds $40, while a 9.5% rate adds $95. To find the exact combined rate for any address, enter its ZIP code in the sales tax calculator.

Sales tax in your state

See one state in detail: its rate, how it ranks and the combined rate in its major cities.

Sales tax by state — FAQ

Which state has the highest sales tax?

California has the highest statewide rate at 7.25%, followed by Indiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Tennessee at 7%. Once county, city and special-district taxes are added, the highest combined rate among the major cities in this study is 11.975% in Kansas City, Missouri.

Which states have no sales tax?

Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no statewide sales tax. That doesn’t always mean you pay nothing: some of these states let cities and boroughs charge their own local sales tax.

What is the average state sales tax rate?

Across all 51 states and DC, the average statewide rate is 5.02%, counting the states with no sales tax as 0%. Most shoppers pay more than their state’s base rate, because local sales taxes are added on top.

What is the difference between the state rate and the combined rate?

The state rate is the base tax the state charges everywhere. The combined rate is what you actually pay at the register: the state rate plus any county, city and special-district taxes where you shop. Two stores in the same state can charge different totals.

How do I calculate sales tax on a purchase?

Multiply the price by the combined rate as a decimal. At 8.25%, a $200 purchase carries $200 × 0.0825 = $16.50 in tax, for $216.50 total. The sales tax calculator looks up the combined rate for any ZIP code and does the math for you.

Source & method

Data: State departments of revenue, via APIVerve. Our tables, charts and text are licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse them freely, including commercially, as long as you credit us. Cite as: Digest Your Finances, “Sales Tax by State”, https://digestyourfinances.com/studies/sales-tax-by-state/ — based on State departments of revenue. CC BY 4.0.

State rates are the statewide base rate only. City figures are the combined rate for one downtown ZIP code in each city (state, county, city and special district); rates elsewhere in the same city can differ. Some states build a mandatory local portion into the rate most people quote, so their base rate here can look lower than you expect. Rates as of September 2026.

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