2026
Moving from Alaska?
Where you keep the most after tax and rent. The comparison starts in Anchorage, AK, the largest metro in Alaska on this site. One adult, one bedroom, $80,000 held the same in every city. State income tax there is $0 a year, and $1,705 a month is left after tax and rent.
No state income tax
The strongest leftover metro in each state that does not tax wages. The tax change is versus Alaska on $80,000.
- Sebring, FL
$2,422/mo left · state tax $0/yr
- Carson City, NV
$2,130/mo left · state tax $0/yr
- Manchester, NH
$1,539/mo left · state tax $0/yr
- Sioux Falls, SD
$2,549/mo left · state tax $0/yr
- Morristown, TN
$2,592/mo left · state tax $0/yr
- Lubbock, TX
$2,695/mo left · state tax $0/yr
- Spokane, WA
$2,287/mo left · state tax $0/yr
- Cheyenne, WY
$2,358/mo left · state tax $0/yr
Where people from Alaska moved
IRS migration, 2022-2023. Outflows from metros in Alaska to metros in other states, summed. The move link starts in the city that sent the most returns on that route.
| Destination | Returns | People | State tax change | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WAfrom Anchorage | 498 | 814 | $0/yr | $1,500/mo |
| Phoenix, AZfrom Anchorage | 434 | 773 | +$1,635/yr | $1,954/mo |
| Las Vegas, NVfrom Anchorage | 234 | 446 | $0/yr | $2,080/mo |
| Colorado Springs, COfrom Anchorage | 197 | 440 | +$2,878/yr | $1,845/mo |
| San Antonio, TXfrom Anchorage | 152 | 352 | $0/yr | $2,411/mo |
| Honolulu, HIfrom Anchorage | 148 | 321 | +$4,816/yr | $353/mo |
| Riverside, CAfrom Anchorage | 131 | 250 | +$3,467/yr | $979/mo |
| Tucson, AZfrom Anchorage | 130 | 226 | +$1,635/yr | $2,334/mo |
| Portland, ORfrom Anchorage | 128 | 210 | +$6,459/yr | $1,381/mo |
| Los Angeles, CAfrom Anchorage | 120 | 179 | +$3,467/yr | $428/mo |
Where the paycheck goes furthest
Top 25 metros outside Alaska by monthly leftover on $80,000. Versus Anchorage.
| Rank | Metro | Left over | Vs Anchorage | State tax change | Paid to move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ames, IA | $2,706/mo | +$1,001/mo | +$2,485/yr | — |
| 2 | Fargo, ND | $2,705/mo | +$1,000/mo | +$330/yr | — |
| 3 | Lubbock, TX | $2,695/mo | +$990/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 4 | Wichita Falls, TX | $2,685/mo | +$980/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 5 | McAllen, TX | $2,679/mo | +$974/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 6 | Longview, TX | $2,672/mo | +$967/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 7 | Amarillo, TX | $2,652/mo | +$947/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 8 | Grand Forks, ND | $2,646/mo | +$941/mo | +$330/yr | — |
| 9 | Davenport, IA | $2,636/mo | +$931/mo | +$2,485/yr | — |
| 10 | Texarkana, TX | $2,635/mo | +$930/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 11 | Waterloo, IA | $2,625/mo | +$920/mo | +$2,485/yr | — |
| 12 | Dubuque, IA | $2,621/mo | +$916/mo | +$2,485/yr | — |
| 13 | Cape Girardeau, MO | $2,618/mo | +$913/mo | +$2,833/yr | — |
| 14 | Jefferson City, MO | $2,610/mo | +$905/mo | +$2,833/yr | — |
| 15 | Killeen, TX | $2,606/mo | +$901/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 16 | Laredo, TX | $2,603/mo | +$898/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 17 | Iowa City, IA | $2,601/mo | +$896/mo | +$2,485/yr | — |
| 18 | Morristown, TN | $2,592/mo | +$887/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 19 | Sherman, TX | $2,589/mo | +$884/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 20 | St. Joseph, MO | $2,584/mo | +$879/mo | +$2,833/yr | — |
| 21 | Eagle Pass, TX | $2,576/mo | +$871/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 22 | Alexandria, LA | $2,573/mo | +$868/mo | +$2,025/yr | — |
| 23 | El Paso, TX | $2,564/mo | +$859/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 24 | Beaumont, TX | $2,555/mo | +$850/mo | $0/yr | — |
| 25 | Sioux Falls, SD | $2,549/mo | +$844/mo | $0/yr | — |
Staying in Alaska
State income tax does not change. Rent still does. Compared with Anchorage.
- Fairbanks · $1,699/mo · −$6 vs Anchorage
Moving from another state
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Cities that pay you to moveTake-home by jobAnchorage paycheck
Questions
Where do people from Alaska move?
Among metros on this site, the largest IRS flow out of Alaska in 2022-2023 is to Seattle, WA: 498 tax returns, about 814 people. The link uses the Anchorage corridor, which sent the most of those returns.
How does state income tax change when you leave Alaska?
On $80,000 for a single filer, Alaska state income tax is $0 a year. The change column is the destination's state income tax minus that figure. A negative number is a smaller state tax bill. Local wage taxes are not in that column. They are in the leftover figure.
Where does a paycheck from Alaska go furthest?
At $80,000 held flat, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $2,706 a month in Ames, IA, +$1,001 versus Anchorage.