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The estimated income threshold for the top 1% of tax filers ranges from $445,892 in West Virginia to $1,147,898 in Connecticut, according to SmartAsset’s state-by-state study published September 18, 2026. The District of Columbia is higher than every state, at $1,156,664. These are modeled 2026 adjusted gross income (AGI) estimates—not observed 2026 salaries or household-income cutoffs.
How much income puts you in the top 1% in each state?
SmartAsset’s 2026 estimates show a wide gap between the state cutoffs: West Virginia has the lowest, while Connecticut has the highest. Massachusetts is the only other state above $1 million; California is close, but below that mark.
| Jurisdiction | Estimated top-1% AGI threshold |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $1,156,664 |
| Connecticut | $1,147,898 |
| Massachusetts | $1,006,921 |
| California | $987,325 |
| West Virginia | $445,892 |
These figures are SmartAsset’s modeled 2026 thresholds, published September 18, 2026. The District of Columbia is included for comparison but is not a state. SmartAsset’s study provides a full ranking for all 50 states and D.C.; the figures above highlight the highest, lowest, and selected near-million-dollar cutoffs. See SmartAsset’s complete state-by-state table and methodology.
What the top-1% number measures—and what it doesn’t
The cutoff is a tax-return AGI threshold. AGI is not the same as salary, total household income, wealth, disposable income, or take-home pay. It is also not a direct measure of how wealthy someone feels or how far their money goes in a particular location.
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The distinction between filers and people matters: IRS state AGI percentile data are based on individual Forms 1040, and SmartAsset cautions that its estimates describe tax return filers, not individual people or households. A return-based percentile should not be read as a ranking of every resident or family. The IRS Statistics of Income state data report AGI percentile floors and other tax statistics for the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
State thresholds are nominal figures, not cost-of-living-adjusted comparisons. A higher cutoff does not establish that top-1% filers in that state have greater purchasing power after local prices, taxes, or other expenses. Those questions require separate measures and aligned years; they should not be inferred from this AGI ranking.
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How SmartAsset estimated the 2026 thresholds
- Start with tax returns: The study uses IRS AGI percentile data for tax year 2022.
- Project forward: It adjusts those figures to 2026 using state personal-income growth estimates from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
- Interpret as an estimate: The resulting values are modeled thresholds, not actual top-1% cutoffs calculated from 2026 tax returns.
The BEA’s state personal-income distribution statistics offer additional context, but they are a separate series. The BEA page, updated in July 2026, includes 2024 statistics and revisions to 2012–2023, and identifies the state results as prototype statistics. They are not interchangeable with an IRS tax-return AGI percentile. Review the BEA state personal-income distribution data.
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SmartAsset’s 2025 study put Connecticut’s cutoff at $1,056,996 and West Virginia’s at $416,310. That analysis used IRS tax-year 2022 data adjusted to May 2025 dollars with CPI-U. The 2026 study instead projects state personal-income growth to 2026. These are different study vintages and adjustment methods, not conflicting measurements of the same year. When comparing thresholds, check both the study year and how the figures were adjusted. Read SmartAsset’s 2025 study and method.
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