Moving from Illinois to Wisconsin
At $100,000 a single filer saves $378 a year by moving from Illinois to Wisconsin — $31 a month. Illinois charges $4,805 at that income and Wisconsin charges $4,428, an effective 4.81% against 4.43%.
The gap is not constant. At $50,000 it is $753; at $500,000 it is $5,169. Illinois is a flat-rate state and Wisconsin is graduated, which is why the gap widens as income rises.
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 | Wisconsin tax | Change per year | Change per month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $2,330 | $1,577 | −$753 | −$63 | 4.66% → 3.15% |
| $75,000 | $3,568 | $2,944 | −$624 | −$52 | 4.76% → 3.92% |
| $100,000 | $4,805 | $4,428 | −$378 | −$31 | 4.81% → 4.43% |
| $150,000 | $7,280 | $7,309 | +$29 | +$2 | 4.85% → 4.87% |
| $250,000 | $12,230 | $12,609 | +$379 | +$32 | 4.89% → 5.04% |
| $500,000 | $24,605 | $29,774 | +$5,169 | +$431 | 4.92% → 5.95% |
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 · TY2026Wisconsin (arriving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026How many people make this move
24,045 people moved from Illinois to Wisconsin in 2024, give or take 3,201 — the American Community Survey is a sample, and its margin of error on a flow this size is wide. That makes it the 31th busiest of the 40 routes this site covers.
The traffic runs both ways: 14,131 people moved the other way, from Wisconsin to Illinois, in the same year. That is a net 9,914 toward Wisconsin. 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 Wisconsin
Capital gains. A long-term gain meets a top rate of 4.95% in Illinois and 5.36% in Wisconsin.
Illinois, today: Illinois taxes a capital gain at the ordinary rates, up to 4.95%. There is no preferential rate and no general exclusion.
Wisconsin, after the move: Wisconsin excludes 30% of a long-term gain. The 2025 Schedule WD instructions say "you may exclude 30% of the net capital gain from assets held more than one year (60% in the case of farm assets)." Against the 7.65% top rate the general exclusion leaves an effective 5.355%. Compare every state.
Retirement income. Wisconsin: Social Security and railroad retirement benefits are not taxable for Wisconsin, at any age or income. Compare every state.
Direction of travel. Illinois's top rate has not moved since 2021. Wisconsin's top rate has not moved since 2021. Illinois history · Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin Department of Revenue. How we verify this data · Disclaimer