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Which states’ taxpayers owe the most come tax day


Erik S. Lesser/Newsmakers // Getty Images

Which states’ taxpayers owe the most come tax day

A woman deposits her tax return into a mailbox.

Filing your taxes can be anxiety-inducing—especially if you’re not sure whether you’re going to owe the government money or receive a nice tax refund. Overpaying your tax obligation throughout the year by having extra money withheld from your paychecks is an interest-free loan to the government, but finding out you’re getting one can give you a pleasant boost when you file your taxes. It’s a popular option: 74% of taxpayers received a refund in the 2020 tax year.

If you have self-employment income, changed jobs, made profits by selling stock, or chose not to give the federal government additional money throughout the year, you may owe taxes instead of receiving a refund. Nationwide, 1 in 5 people who filed taxes owe money on their returns, according to Stacker’s analysis of 2020 tax year data from the IRS, the most recent year available.

The average amount owed was more than $6,500—a few thousand dollars more than the average tax refund. To find out which states’ taxpayers had the highest balances, Stacker used Internal Revenue Service data to rank states by the average amount taxpayers owed on tax day.

Only tax filers who owed money on their return were included; in other words, those who received refunds don’t factor into the averages. The number and share of tax filers who owed money on their return are also shown in the analysis but didn’t factor into the ranking. Scroll through the list to see where your home state landed in the rankings.

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#51. West Virginia

An aerial view of homes in Wheeling.

– Average tax payment: $4,215
– Number of returns with tax due: 104,050 (12.7%)



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#50. Mississippi

An aerial view of the Capitol in Jackson at dusk.

– Average tax payment: $4,714
– Number of returns with tax due: 216,240 (16.3%)



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#49. Hawaii

Buildings on the ocean in Honolulu with mountains in the background.

– Average tax payment: $4,929
– Number of returns with tax due: 158,960 (22.5%)



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#48. New Mexico

Stucco buildings in Santa Fe.

– Average tax payment: $4,946
– Number of returns with tax due: 171,890 (17.3%)



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#47. Kentucky

Buildings in downtown Lexington.

– Average tax payment: $4,987
– Number of returns with tax due: 323,550 (15.6%)

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#46. Iowa

The Des Moines skyline.

– Average tax payment: $5,029
– Number of returns with tax due: 289,660 (18.7%)



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#45. Ohio

The Columbus skyline.

– Average tax payment: $5,051
– Number of returns with tax due: 1,015,640 (17.2%)



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#44. Wisconsin

The Capitol building in Madison.

– Average tax payment: $5,251
– Number of returns with tax due: 564,230 (18.8%)



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#43. Maryland

An aerial view of Annapolis on the water.

– Average tax payment: $5,260
– Number of returns with tax due: 728,060 (23.2%)



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#42. Arkansas

An aerial view of Fayetteville in Autumn.

– Average tax payment: $5,312
– Number of returns with tax due: 237,220 (17.6%)

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#41. Louisiana

An aerial view of downtown Baton Rouge on the water.

– Average tax payment: $5,332
– Number of returns with tax due: 328,790 (15.8%)



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#40. Delaware

A walking path on the water with Wilmington in the background.

– Average tax payment: $5,349
– Number of returns with tax due: 102,040 (20.0%)



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#39. South Carolina

An aerial view of the state house in Columbia.

– Average tax payment: $5,352
– Number of returns with tax due: 530,170 (21.0%)



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#38. Alaska

Colorful businesses on the water.

– Average tax payment: $5,440
– Number of returns with tax due: 70,540 (19.6%)



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#37. Alabama

An aerial view of downtown Birmingham.

– Average tax payment: $5,450
– Number of returns with tax due: 410,720 (18.3%)

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#36. Oklahoma

An aerial view of downtown Oklahoma City.

– Average tax payment: $5,455
– Number of returns with tax due: 308,800 (17.3%)



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#35. Michigan

An aerial view of Traverse City on the water.

– Average tax payment: $5,471
– Number of returns with tax due: 833,650 (16.6%)



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#34. Rhode Island

The Providence skyline.

– Average tax payment: $5,489
– Number of returns with tax due: 103,320 (17.9%)



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#33. Minnesota

The downtown Minneapolis skyline.

– Average tax payment: $5,522
– Number of returns with tax due: 642,560 (22.2%)



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#32. Missouri

An aerial view of Springfield.

– Average tax payment: $5,544
– Number of returns with tax due: 527,480 (17.5%)

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#31. Indiana

Downtown Evansville.

– Average tax payment: $5,609
– Number of returns with tax due: 495,600 (14.8%)



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#30. North Carolina

The downtown Charlotte skyline.

– Average tax payment: $5,664
– Number of returns with tax due: 1,005,740 (19.8%)



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#29. Vermont

An aerial view of Burlington on the water.

– Average tax payment: $5,896
– Number of returns with tax due: 59,910 (17.4%)



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#28. Maine

An aerial view of Bar Harbor on the water.

– Average tax payment: $5,952
– Number of returns with tax due: 136,030 (19.0%)



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#27. Georgia

Boats on the water with Augusta in the background.

– Average tax payment: $5,966
– Number of returns with tax due: 1,056,260 (20.8%)

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#26. Oregon

An aerial view of Eugene at sunset.

– Average tax payment: $5,967
– Number of returns with tax due: 467,940 (22.5%)



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#25. Arizona

The downtown Phoenix skyline.

– Average tax payment: $5,971
– Number of returns with tax due: 742,720 (21.5%)



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#24. Kansas

Buildings on the water in Wichita.

– Average tax payment: $6,004
– Number of returns with tax due: 275,300 (19.6%)



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#23. Virginia

An aerial view of Portsmouth on the river.

– Average tax payment: $6,005
– Number of returns with tax due: 940,640 (22.2%)



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#22. Pennsylvania

An aerial view of Allentown.

– Average tax payment: $6,234
– Number of returns with tax due: 1,057,260 (16.1%)

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#21. Illinois

Skyscrapers and boats on the water in Chicago.

– Average tax payment: $6,482
– Number of returns with tax due: 1,145,470 (18.2%)



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#20. Nebraska

The Omaha skyline.

– Average tax payment: $6,546
– Number of returns with tax due: 185,500 (19.6%)



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#19. Montana

An aerial view of downtown Billings.

– Average tax payment: $6,580
– Number of returns with tax due: 117,660 (21.3%)



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#18. Tennessee

The Knoxville skyline with a round gold tower.

– Average tax payment: $6,613
– Number of returns with tax due: 587,830 (17.6%)



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#17. New York

A busy New York City street.

– Average tax payment: $6,786
– Number of returns with tax due: 2,073,260 (20.4%)

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#16. New Jersey

An aerial view of Paterson.

– Average tax payment: $7,043
– Number of returns with tax due: 1,071,530 (22.8%)



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#15. Texas

Large homes on the water in Austin.

– Average tax payment: $7,190
– Number of returns with tax due: 2,428,830 (17.6%)



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#14. Utah

The Salt Lake City skyline with trains in the foreground and mountains in the background.

– Average tax payment: $7,235
– Number of returns with tax due: 317,410 (21.2%)



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#13. Idaho

An aerial view of Boise.

– Average tax payment: $7,263
– Number of returns with tax due: 186,690 (21.5%)



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#12. Colorado

Large homes at the base of the mountains in Autumn.

– Average tax payment: $7,265
– Number of returns with tax due: 665,260 (22.7%)

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#11. California

Homes on the water in Laguna Beach.

– Average tax payment: $7,477
– Number of returns with tax due: 5,052,530 (25.8%)



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#10. New Hampshire

Home and boats on the water in Portsmouth.

– Average tax payment: $7,834
– Number of returns with tax due: 146,250 (19.6%)



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#9. Nevada

An aerial view of homes in Las Vegas.

– Average tax payment: $7,858
– Number of returns with tax due: 302,490 (18.9%)



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#8. Connecticut

Historic buildings and a church in New Britain.

– Average tax payment: $7,874
– Number of returns with tax due: 384,290 (20.7%)



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#7. Washington D.C.

The U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

– Average tax payment: $7,914
– Number of returns with tax due: 83,000 (23.5%)

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#6. North Dakota

Historic buildings and an American flag on a small street in Grand Forks.

– Average tax payment: $8,013
– Number of returns with tax due: 76,920 (20.6%)



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#5. Massachusetts

Boats and residences on the water in Salem.

– Average tax payment: $8,286
– Number of returns with tax due: 801,110 (22.0%)



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#4. Florida

Boats and homes on the water in Fort Lauderdale.

– Average tax payment: $8,331
– Number of returns with tax due: 2,157,580 (19.2%)



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#3. Washington

Homes and businesses going up a large hill with snowy mountains in the background.

– Average tax payment: $8,452
– Number of returns with tax due: 839,450 (21.8%)



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#2. Wyoming

An aerial view of Casper sprawling to the base of the mountains.

– Average tax payment: $8,549
– Number of returns with tax due: 53,020 (18.5%)

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#1. South Dakota

An aerial view of Rapid City.

– Average tax payment: $8,724
– Number of returns with tax due: 88,040 (19.9%)


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