Just ran the numbers on what a 100k salary actually looks like after taxes across the Midwest and honestly it's pretty wild how much varies by state. Iowa hits you the hardest with about 26.9% going to taxes on that income - you're left with just over 73k. Illinois is similar at 26.4%, Minnesota around 26.8%. But then you've got states like South Dakota where you keep almost 78.5k after taxes, and North Dakota around 77.7k. The difference is like 5k+ just depending on where you live. Apparently Iowa has one of the highest effective tax rates in the whole country, competing with Oregon and Hawaii. If I was making 100k, I'd definitely be looking at those lower-tax Midwest states like South Dakota or North Dakota - keeping an extra 5 grand a year adds up fast. The after tax income breakdown shows Indiana and Missouri are middle ground, around 75k-74.5k take-home. Curious if anyone's actually factored this into where they choose to work or live. Seems like a pretty significant factor that doesn't get talked about enough when people discuss cost of living.