Moving from Washington to California
26,956 people moved from Washington to California in 2024, the 31st busiest of the 57 interstate moves covered here; 43,938 moved the other way.
The year you move. Washington has no income tax return to file. California taxes the income you earn from the day you become a resident, on a part-year resident return, and income from California sources before then.
Local income tax at each end. Washington: no local income tax. California: no local income tax.
At $100,000 a single filer pays $4,911 a year for moving from Washington to California — $409 a month. Washington charges $0 at that income and California charges $4,911, an effective 0.00% against 4.91%. California vs Washington, side by side.
The gap is not constant. At $50,000 it is $973; at $500,000 it is $43,543. Washington levies no individual income tax, so this move introduces a state income tax bill where you had none.
Enacted for 2028: Washington's 2026 Legislature enacted a 9.9% tax on individual income above a $1,000,000 standard deduction, beginning January 1, 2028, with first returns due in 2029. It does not affect tax years 2026 or 2027. Washington details.
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 | Washington tax | California tax | Change per year | Change per month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $0 | $973 | +$973 | +$81 | 0.00% → 1.95% |
| $75,000 | $0 | $2,665 | +$2,665 | +$222 | 0.00% → 3.55% |
| $100,000 | $0 | $4,911 | +$4,911 | +$409 | 0.00% → 4.91% |
| $150,000 | $0 | $9,561 | +$9,561 | +$797 | 0.00% → 6.37% |
| $250,000 | $0 | $18,861 | +$18,861 | +$1,572 | 0.00% → 7.54% |
| $500,000 | $0 | $43,543 | +$43,543 | +$3,629 | 0.00% → 8.71% |
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
Washington (leaving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026California (arriving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026How many people make this move
26,956 people moved from Washington to California in 2024, give or take 4,931 — the American Community Survey is a sample, and its margin of error on a flow this size is wide. That makes it the 31st busiest of the 57 interstate moves with a page of their own.
The traffic runs both ways: 43,938 people moved the other way, from California to Washington, in the same year. That is a net 16,982 toward Washington. The return trip has its own page: moving from California to Washington.
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 Washington and California
Capital gains. A long-term gain meets a top rate of 9.90% in Washington and 13.30% in California.
Washington, today: Washington has no income tax, but it does levy a separate excise tax on long-term capital gains. RCW 82.87.040 imposes 7% on an individual's Washington capital gains and, "Beginning January 1, 2025," an additional 2.90% on "the portion of an individual's Washington capital gains exceeding $1,000,000," so 2026 gains are taxed at 7% up to $1,000,000 of taxable gains and 9.9% above. The tax applies only above a standard deduction per individual, married couple or domestic partnership that is adjusted for inflation each year ($278,000 for 2025; the 2026 amount had not been published).
California, after the move: 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. Compare every state.
Retirement income. California: California excludes U.S. Social Security benefits and equivalent Tier 1 railroad retirement benefits from taxable income. Compare every state.
Direction of travel. Washington's top rate has not moved since 2021. California's top rate has not moved since 2021. Washington history · California 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: Washington State Department of Revenue and California Franchise Tax Board. How we verify this data · Disclaimer