BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Many consider Washington to be a high-tax state, but a new survey finds the burden of state and local taxes puts us in the middle of the pack.

Wallethub.com finds state and local taxes take an average of 8.04% of our income annually.  That ranks us 29th among the 50 states.  Washington tops the list for sales and excise taxes each year with an average of almost 5.5%.  Property taxes account for just over 2.5% percent of our tax burden while our lack of an income tax puts us at the bottom of that category.

Overall, blue states tend to carry a heavier tax burden with an average rank of 20th among the 50 states, while red states average about 31st on the list.