Moving from Illinois to Texas
At $100,000 a single filer saves $4,805 a year by moving from Illinois to Texas — $400 a month. Illinois charges $4,805 at that income and Texas charges $0, an effective 4.81% against 0.00%.
The gap is not constant. At $50,000 it is $2,330; at $500,000 it is $24,605. Texas levies no individual income tax, so the whole of your Illinois bill disappears and the saving grows with every dollar you earn.
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 | Illinois tax | Texas tax | Change per year | Change per month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $2,330 | $0 | −$2,330 | −$194 | 4.66% → 0.00% |
| $75,000 | $3,568 | $0 | −$3,568 | −$297 | 4.76% → 0.00% |
| $100,000 | $4,805 | $0 | −$4,805 | −$400 | 4.81% → 0.00% |
| $150,000 | $7,280 | $0 | −$7,280 | −$607 | 4.85% → 0.00% |
| $250,000 | $12,230 | $0 | −$12,230 | −$1,019 | 4.89% → 0.00% |
| $500,000 | $24,605 | $0 | −$24,605 | −$2,050 | 4.92% → 0.00% |
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
Illinois (leaving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026Texas (arriving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026How many people make this move
23,509 people moved from Illinois to Texas in 2024, give or take 4,417 — the American Community Survey is a sample, and its margin of error on a flow this size is wide. That makes it the 32th busiest of the 40 routes this site covers.
The traffic runs both ways: 18,189 people moved the other way, from Texas to Illinois, in the same year. That is a net 5,320 toward Texas. The return trip is not among the routes this site covers.
Movers: U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. State-to-State Migration Flows: 2024 (American Community Survey 1-year estimates) (retrieved 2026-09-19). 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 Illinois and Texas
Capital gains. A long-term gain meets a top rate of 4.95% in Illinois and 0.00% in Texas.
Illinois, today: Illinois taxes a capital gain at the ordinary rates, up to 4.95%. There is no preferential rate and no general exclusion.
Texas, after the move: Texas taxes no individual capital gain. Article VIII, section 24-a of the Texas Constitution, added by H.J.R. 38 in 2019, provides that "The legislature may not impose a tax on the net incomes of individuals, including an individual's share of partnership and unincorporated association income." Compare every state.
Retirement income. Texas: Texas levies no individual income tax, so Social Security benefits are not taxed at the state level. Compare every state.
Direction of travel. Illinois's top rate has not moved since 2021. Texas's top rate has not moved since 2021. Illinois history · Texas 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.
A full year in each state. In the year you move you will normally file part-year returns in both, splitting the income between them, so neither column is what you will actually pay that year.
Rates are tax year 2026. Sources: Illinois Department of Revenue and Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. How we verify this data · Disclaimer