11% higher than the national average.
Followed by NJ at 8.2%, HI and WA at 7.9% and MA at 7.6%

Arkansas is the cheapest at - 15.6% less than the national average with Mississippi next at - 14.5% followed by South Dakota (-13.5%), and Louisiana (- 13.3%) and Oklahoma (-13.3%)

Florida was the 11th most expensive.
Texas the 21st.

Payday plus

Sky-high expenses are somewhat offset for the typical Californian thanks to their employer's generous pay.
Ponder that the state's per capita income in 2023 ranked sixth-highest at $81,300. The typical US income was $69,800 14% less.

The states with better pay than California were Massachusetts at $90,600, Connecticut at $89,900, New York at $82,300, New Jersey and Wyoming at $82,100.

At the other end of the paycheck spectrum, Mississippi had the lowest income at $49,700, followed by West Virginia ($52,800) and Alabama ($54,200), New Mexico ($55,300), and Kentucky ($55,400).

Texas was No. 24 at $66,300. Florida was No. 19 at $68,700.

The taxman


California's incomes are also challenged by the fourth-highest tax burden, according to BEA math.

California's effective tax cost for 2023 that's personal taxes paid as a share of income, per capita was 14.9% vs. the nation's 12.2% rate.

New York was No. 1 with 16.9%, followed by Massachusetts with 16% and Connecticut with 15.4%. Maryland was No. 5 with 14.2%.

Conversely, Mississippians pay the lowest taxes at 7.7% of income. Alaska follows at 7.9%, South Dakota at 8.1%, Oklahoma at 8.4%, and Tennessee at 8.5%.

Florida was 23rd highest at 11.3%, but Texas was eighth-lowest at 9.2%.

Bottom line

Ponder next a yardstick of a Californian's relative buying power compared with other states.

Take those lofty paychecks, minus the elevated cost of living and taxes, and you get a relative spendable income of $61,400 for each Californian in 2023. That's a middling 26th-best among the states and just $100 above the nation's $61,300.

Jonathan Lansner for the Southern California News Group.

Is California living worth the costs and taxes? The Mercury News

DiabloWags said:

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Payday plus

Sky-high expenses are somewhat offset for the typical Californian thanks to their employer's generous pay.
Ponder that the state's per capita income in 2023 ranked sixth-highest at $81,300. The typical US income was $69,800 14% less.

The states with better pay than California were Massachusetts at $90,600, Connecticut at $89,900, New York at $82,300, New Jersey and Wyoming at $82,100.

At the other end of the paycheck spectrum, Mississippi had the lowest income at $49,700, followed by West Virginia ($52,800) and Alabama ($54,200), New Mexico ($55,300), and Kentucky ($55,400).

Texas was No. 24 at $66,300. Florida was No. 19 at $68,700.

The taxman


California's incomes are also challenged by the fourth-highest tax burden, according to BEA math.

California's effective tax cost for 2023 that's personal taxes paid as a share of income, per capita was 14.9% vs. the nation's 12.2% rate.

New York was No. 1 with 16.9%, followed by Massachusetts with 16% and Connecticut with 15.4%. Maryland was No. 5 with 14.2%.

Conversely, Mississippians pay the lowest taxes at 7.7% of income. Alaska follows at 7.9%, South Dakota at 8.1%, Oklahoma at 8.4%, and Tennessee at 8.5%.

Florida was 23rd highest at 11.3%, but Texas was eighth-lowest at 9.2%.

Bottom line

Ponder next a yardstick of a Californian's relative buying power compared with other states.

Take those lofty paychecks, minus the elevated cost of living and taxes, and you get a relative spendable income of $61,400 for each Californian in 2023. That's a middling 26th-best among the states and just $100 above the nation's $61,300.

Jonathan Lansner for the Southern California News Group.

Is California living worth the costs and taxes? The Mercury News

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Interesting, thanks.

I heard someone today say

"People think when they get a wage increase it's because they earned it, but when prices of goods goes up it was something that was done TO them."

We just ran payroll. The payroll taxes were 2K higher than calculated. We called the payroll company. They explained (in summary) that California has a budget shortfall, and the federal government wants money back that it lent California for UI that it "lost." They are making up…

— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) November 20, 2024

California Business Owners Blindsided by Surprise Payroll Taxes After Newsom, Democrat Legislators Failed to Repay Federal Government Loan on Time

Not questioning or justifying but the livable wage is between 40-60k that's what it takes to perhaps break even annually in CA.

What percentage of Californians don't make that ? That work 40+ a week ? They are relegated to a life of poverty/ staying poor and broke for an entire life span …. Not to forget the poor tax l hidden costs. Bleak out comes for how many people statewide ??? Random from an ethnography perspective 2-5 million perhaps more (including those whom make less than 40k ) that's a lot potential for known and unknown outcomes

DiabloWags said:

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11% higher than the national average.
Followed by NJ at 8.2%, HI and WA at 7.9% and MA at 7.6%

Arkansas is the cheapest at - 15.6% less than the national average with Mississippi next at - 14.5% followed by South Dakota (-13.5%), and Louisiana (- 13.3%) and Oklahoma (-13.3%)

Florida was the 11th most expensive.
Texas the 21st.

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This stat is almost meaningless, because it does not take into account housing costs. The rest of the stuff is a bit more expensive in CA, but housing in coastal urban areas is on another planet compared to most of the rest of the country.