Moving from California to Virginia
20,180 people moved from California to Virginia in 2024, the 57th busiest of the 57 interstate moves covered here; 18,100 moved the other way.
The year you move. You normally file part-year resident returns in both states: California taxes the income earned while you lived there and Virginia the income earned after you arrive, so neither full-year figure below is what you pay that year.
Local income tax at each end. California: no local income tax. Virginia: no local income tax.
At $100,000 a single filer pays $25 a year for moving from California to Virginia — $2 a month. California charges $4,911 at that income and Virginia charges $4,936, an effective 4.91% against 4.94%.
The gap is not constant. At $50,000 it is $1,088; at $500,000 it is $15,607. Both states run a graduated schedule, so the gap scales roughly with income.
The move priced at every income
State income tax in both jurisdictions for tax year 2026, at the standard tiers. Change the filing status to see how the answer moves.
| Income | California tax | Virginia tax | Change per year | Change per month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $973 | $2,061 | +$1,088 | +$91 | 1.95% → 4.12% |
| $75,000 | $2,665 | $3,498 | +$833 | +$69 | 3.55% → 4.66% |
| $100,000 | $4,911 | $4,936 | +$25 | +$2 | 4.91% → 4.94% |
| $150,000 | $9,561 | $7,811 | −$1,750 | −$146 | 6.37% → 5.21% |
| $250,000 | $18,861 | $13,561 | −$5,300 | −$442 | 7.54% → 5.42% |
| $500,000 | $43,543 | $27,936 | −$15,607 | −$1,301 | 8.71% → 5.59% |
Want a figure for your own income? Open this pair in the moving calculator, which also takes Maryland county and New York City local taxes.
Both states at $100,000
California (leaving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026Virginia (arriving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026How many people make this move
20,180 people moved from California to Virginia in 2024, give or take 4,162 — the American Community Survey is a sample, and its margin of error on a flow this size is wide. That makes it the 57th busiest of the 57 interstate moves with a page of their own.
The traffic runs both ways: 18,100 people moved the other way, from Virginia to California, in the same year. That is a net 2,080 toward Virginia. The return trip has no page of its own; the moving calculator prices it.
Movers: U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. State-to-State Migration Flows: 2024 (American Community Survey 1-year estimates) (retrieved 2026-09-23). Universe: population 1 year and over in the united states. Tax figures are computed from each state's own rate schedule and are unrelated to this dataset.
What else changes between California and Virginia
Capital gains. A long-term gain meets a top rate of 13.30% in California and 5.75% in Virginia.
California, today: California is the plainest statement of the rule in the country and the most expensive. The Franchise Tax Board states: "California does not have a lower rate for capital gains. All capital gains are taxed as ordinary income." For 2026 the top bracket is 12.3%, and a 1% Behavioral Health Services Tax on taxable income over $1,000,000 takes the top to 13.3%, the highest rate on a long-term gain anywhere in the United States.
Virginia, after the move: Virginia taxes capital gains on the ordinary schedule, up to 5.75%. The Department's published list of subtractions contains no general capital gains subtraction — only a narrow one for gains on an investment in a qualified business. Compare every state.
Retirement income. Virginia: Benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act and other benefits taxed federally solely under IRC section 86, including Tier 1 Railroad Retirement, are subtracted on the Virginia return (Va. Code 58.1-322.02(3)). Compare every state.
Direction of travel. California's top rate has not moved since 2021. Virginia's top rate has not moved since 2021. California history · Virginia history.
What this does not answer
State income tax only. Property tax, sales tax and housing costs usually matter more to a moving decision than the figures on this page, and none of them is here.
Rates are tax year 2026. Sources: California Franchise Tax Board and Virginia Department of Taxation. How we verify this data · Disclaimer