Which states’ taxpayers owe the most come tax day

Erik S. Lesser/Newsmakers // Getty Images 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. You may also like: 25 richest families in America #51. West Virginia Canva – Average tax payment: $4,215 – Number of returns with tax due: 104,050 (12.7%) #50. Mississippi Canva – Average tax payment: $4,714 – Number of returns with tax due: 216,240 (16.3%) #49. Hawaii Canva – Average tax payment: $4,929 – Number of returns with tax due: 158,960 (22.5%) #48. New Mexico Canva – Average tax payment: $4,946 – Number of returns with tax due: 171,890 (17.3%) #47. Kentucky Canva – Average tax payment: $4,987 – Number of returns with tax due: 323,550 (15.6%) You may also like: Iconic car debuts from the year you were born #46. Iowa Canva – Average tax payment: $5,029 – Number of returns with tax due: 289,660 (18.7%) #45. Ohio Canva – Average tax payment: $5,051 – Number of returns with tax due: 1,015,640 (17.2%) #44. Wisconsin Canva – Average tax payment: $5,251 – Number of returns with tax due: 564,230 (18.8%) #43. Maryland Canva – Average tax payment: $5,260 – Number of returns with tax due: 728,060 (23.2%) #42. Arkansas Canva – Average tax payment: $5,312 – Number of returns with tax due: 237,220 (17.6%) You may also like: Marijuana violations are taking truck drivers off the road, adding more supply chain disruptions #41. Louisiana Canva – Average tax payment: $5,332 – Number of returns with tax due: 328,790 (15.8%) #40. Delaware Canva – Average tax payment: $5,349 – Number of returns with tax due: 102,040 (20.0%) #39. South Carolina Canva – Average tax payment: $5,352 – Number of returns with tax due: 530,170 (21.0%) #38. Alaska Canva – Average tax payment: $5,440 – Number of returns with tax due: 70,540 (19.6%) #37. Alabama Canva – Average tax payment: $5,450 – Number of returns with tax due: 410,720 (18.3%) You may also like: 50 most popular chain restaurants in America #36. Oklahoma Canva – Average tax payment: $5,455 – Number of returns with tax due: 308,800 (17.3%) #35. Michigan Canva – Average tax payment: $5,471 – Number of returns with tax due: 833,650 (16.6%) #34. Rhode Island Canva – Average tax payment: $5,489 – Number of returns with tax due: 103,320 (17.9%) #33. Minnesota Canva – Average tax payment: $5,522 – Number of returns with tax due: 642,560 (22.2%) #32. Missouri Canva – Average tax payment: $5,544 – Number of returns with tax due: 527,480 (17.5%) You may also like: 50 women who broke barriers in the business world #31. Indiana Canva – Average tax payment: $5,609 – Number of returns with tax due: 495,600 (14.8%) #30. North Carolina Canva – Average tax payment: $5,664 – Number of returns with tax due: 1,005,740 (19.8%) #29. Vermont Canva – Average tax payment: $5,896 – Number of returns with tax due: 59,910 (17.4%) #28. Maine Canva – Average tax payment: $5,952 – Number of returns with tax due: 136,030 (19.0%) #27. Georgia Canva – Average tax payment: $5,966 – Number of returns with tax due: 1,056,260 (20.8%) You may also like: Richest and poorest states in America #26. Oregon Canva – Average tax payment: $5,967 – Number of returns with tax due: 467,940 (22.5%) #25. Arizona Canva – Average tax payment: $5,971 – Number of returns with tax due: 742,720 (21.5%) #24. Kansas Canva – Average tax payment: $6,004 – Number of returns with tax due: 275,300 (19.6%) #23. Virginia Canva – Average tax payment: $6,005 – Number of returns with tax due: 940,640 (22.2%) #22. Pennsylvania Canva – Average tax payment: $6,234 – Number of returns with tax due: 1,057,260 (16.1%) You may also like: Richest women in America #21. Illinois Canva – Average tax payment: $6,482 – Number of returns with tax due: 1,145,470 (18.2%) #20. Nebraska Canva – Average tax payment: $6,546 – Number of returns with tax due: 185,500 (19.6%) #19. Montana Canva – Average tax payment: $6,580 – Number of returns with tax due: 117,660 (21.3%) #18. Tennessee Canva – Average tax payment: $6,613 – Number of returns with tax due: 587,830 (17.6%) #17. New York Canva – Average tax payment: $6,786 – Number of returns with tax due: 2,073,260 (20.4%) You may also like: The cost of gasoline the year you started driving #16. New Jersey Canva – Average tax payment: $7,043 – Number of returns with tax due: 1,071,530 (22.8%) #15. Texas Canva – Average tax payment: $7,190 – Number of returns with tax due: 2,428,830 (17.6%) #14. Utah Canva – Average tax payment: $7,235 – Number of returns with tax due: 317,410 (21.2%) #13. Idaho Canva – Average tax payment: $7,263 – Number of returns with tax due: 186,690 (21.5%) #12. Colorado Canva – Average tax payment: $7,265 – Number of returns with tax due: 665,260 (22.7%) You may also like: This is what really happens to retail food waste #11. California Canva – Average tax payment: $7,477 – Number of returns with tax due: 5,052,530 (25.8%) #10. New Hampshire Canva – Average tax payment: $7,834 – Number of returns with tax due: 146,250 (19.6%) #9. Nevada Canva – Average tax payment: $7,858 – Number of returns with tax due: 302,490 (18.9%) #8. Connecticut Canva – Average tax payment: $7,874 – Number of returns with tax due: 384,290 (20.7%) #7. Washington D.C. Canva – Average tax payment: $7,914 – Number of returns with tax due: 83,000 (23.5%) You may also like: Youngest billionaires in America #6. North Dakota Canva – Average tax payment: $8,013 – Number of returns with tax due: 76,920 (20.6%) #5. Massachusetts Canva – Average tax payment: $8,286 – Number of returns with tax due: 801,110 (22.0%) #4. Florida Canva – Average tax payment: $8,331 – Number of returns with tax due: 2,157,580 (19.2%) #3. Washington Canva – Average tax payment: $8,452 – Number of returns with tax due: 839,450 (21.8%) #2. Wyoming Canva – Average tax payment: $8,549 – Number of returns with tax due: 53,020 (18.5%) You may also like: Cost of gold the year you were born #1. South Dakota Canva – Average tax payment: $8,724 – Number of returns with tax due: 88,040 (19.9%)