Play all audios:
Even if you make six figures, the amount of money you bring home each month .
In cities , for example, taxes are , while in cities like Houston, taxes are far lower. That means your paycheck can go further in Texas, though it also means fewer tax dollars go to social
services like public transportation, schools and roads.
To find out how much American workers are bringing home in various U.S. cities, financial website How Much calculated the total tax burden associated with living in different places using a
federal paycheck calculator and a $100,000 baseline annual salary.
In the map, the size and color of each dot represents the total take-home pay there after taxes, says How Much, including the "state and local income taxes for each city" and "tax levies
that apply to everyone, like the federal income tax" and the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. The bigger and darker the circle, the more your take-home pay there.
"Our map reveals a few key things about the tax burden facing Americans," the report explains. For example, "there are lots of small circles scattered throughout the Midwest and South,
indicating that it's not just coastal cities with comparably high tax burdens."
While the heaviest tax burden , "where workers earning $100,000 a year only keep $5,574 each month, Louisville, Kentucky, isn't too far off at $5,691," How Much reports. Residents of Houston
earning $100,000 a year get to keep over $630 more each month than people in Louisville do.
Here are the top six most populous U.S. cities, listed from highest to lowest average monthly take-home pay.
No matter , though, living within your means and employing can help you better manage your money. So, even if you're in a city with a high tax burden, much of the way you save and spend is
up to you.
If you're looking to stash away more or pay off debt, start by re-evaluating how you spend or putting away small amounts of money with each paycheck. If you and are , you're more .
Don't miss: Middle-class families are earning less in almost every state—here are the few exceptions
© 2025 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Division of NBC Universal