Uncle Sam and the California Bear. Composite image by the Los Angeles Almanac. Bear image by TIP PDP at PublicDomainPictures.net.
In 2021, Los Angeles County individual taxpayers paid $80.1 billion in federal income taxes. That accounted for 4 percent of all federal income tax revenue in that year. That was not only more revenue collected than from any other U.S. county, it was, except for the states of California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois and New Jersey, more federal income tax paid than by any one of entire U.S. states.
U.S. Dollar amounts are in thousands of dollars.
| County & State | Income Tax After Credits | Number of Individual Returns | Adjust Gross Income (AGI) | Total Income | Taxable Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County, CA | $80,120,083 | 4,799,060 | $480,343,326 | $485,525,828 | $389,671,393 |
| New York County (Manhattan), NY | $60,254,707 | 842,290 | $259,473,455 | $261,762,039 | $239,117,529 |
| Santa Clara County (San Jose), CA | $48,121,703 | 926,570 | $225,274,601 | $226,550,320 | $200,208,309 |
| Cook County (Chicago), IL | $43,355,789 | 2,514,730 | $262,291,563 | $264,692,668 | $215,002,372 |
| King County, WA | $38,674,946 | 1,140,760 | $205,717,811 | $207,048,126 | $178,644,922 |
| County & State | Income Tax After Credits | Number of Individual Returns | Adjust Gross Income (AGI) | Total Income | Taxable Income |
| Orange County, CA | $31,761,792 | 1,573,660 | $188,541,619 | $190,597,905 | $155,525,270 |
| Harris County, TX | $31,010,749 | 2,126,580 | $195,257,171 | $196,879,131 | $154,824,967 |
| Maricopa County, AZ | $29,485,481 | 2,106,950 | $197,648,352 | $199,378,189 | $157,916,238 |
| San Diego County, CA | $27,196,079 | 1,662,440 | $174,683,017 | $176,408,940 | $142,006,475 |
| San Mateo County, CA | $25,687,858 | 375,020 | $114,844,670 | $115,612,413 | $103,174,994 |
* "Income Tax After Credits" does not include taxes from recapture of certain prior-year credits, tax applicable to individual retirement arrangements (IRA's), social security taxes on self-employment income and on certain tip income, advanced earned income payments, household employment taxes, and certain "other taxes" listed in the Form 1040 instructions.
Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
In 2021, Los Angeles County's population accounted for 3 percent of the population of the United States. However, the county paid 3.6 percent of all federal personal income taxes.
U.S. Dollar amounts are in thousands of dollars.
| Income Bracket | Number of Returns | Total Income | Total Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) | Total Taxable Income | Total Income Tax After Credits* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Income Brackets | 4,799,060 | $485,525,828 | $480,343,326 | $389,671,393 | $80,120,083 |
| Under $1 | 116,400 | -$9,253,976 | -$9,328,067 | $0 | $7,082 |
| $1 - $9,999 | 458,560 | $2,456,106 | $2,367,417 | $31,066 | $4,147 |
| $10,000 - $24,999 | 899,380 | $16,017,469 | $15,734,946 | $3,335,372 | $288,296 |
| $25,000 - $49,999 | 1,220,090 | $44,767,632 | $44,298,803 | $23,642,392 | $2,356,716 |
| Income Bracket | Number of Returns | Total Income | Total Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) | Total Taxable Income | Total Income Tax After Credits* |
| $50,000 - $74,999 | 676,570 | $41,932,664 | $41,526,766 | $28,576,158 | $3,340,258 |
| $75,000 - $99,999 | 409,070 | $35,727,523 | $35,403,957 | $26,491,672 | $3,557,532 |
| $100,000 - $199,999 | 646,190 | $90,082,262 | $89,181,718 | $72,111,773 | $11,287,174 |
| $200,000+ | 372,800 | $263,796,148 | $261,157,786 | $235,482,960 | $59,278,878 |
* "Total Income Tax After Credits" does not include taxes from recapture of certain prior-year credits, tax applicable to individual retirement arrangements (IRA's), social security taxes on self-employment income and on certain tip income, advanced earned income payments, household employment taxes, and certain "other taxes" listed in the Form 1040 instructions.
Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
U.S. Dollar amounts are in thousands of dollars.
| Year | Number of Returns | Total Income | Total Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) | Taxable Income | Total Income Tax After Credits* | Percent of California's Total Federal Income Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,799,060 | $485,525,828 | $480,343,326 | $389,671,393 | $80,120,083 | 22.3% |
| 2020 | 5,028,630 | $404,245,849 | $398,890,965 | $317,812,648 | $60,802,068 | 22.4% |
| 2019 | 4,806,030 | $389,092,444 | $383,692,194 | $301,918,765 | $56,805,829 | 23.5% |
| 2018 | 4,702,060 | $389,392,958 | $384,088,479 | $301,451,591 | $57,267,818 | 24.2% |
| 2017 | 4,699,360 | $370,175,569 | $364,557,900 | $261,111,603 | $57,627,895 | 24.6% |
| Year | Number of Returns | Total Income | Total Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) | Taxable Income | Total Income Tax After Credits* | Percent of California's Total Federal Income Tax |
| 2016 | 4,638,710 | $341,646,722 | $336,172,190 | $237,274,618 | $51,967,985 | 24.3% |
| 2015 | 4,644,280 | $336,712,583 | $331,317,036 | $234,316,305 | $51,312,723 | 24.5% |
| 2014 | 4,563,010 | $315,657,066 | $310,538,656 | $218,096,969 | $47,297,511 | 24.6% |
| 2013 | 4,510,530 | $289,776,982 | $284,888,101 | $195,198,984 | $41,792,518 | 24.8% |
| 2012 | 4,452,130 | --No Data-- | $288,792,866 | $199,458,952 | $40,671,244 | 25.0% |
* "Total Income Tax After Credits" does not include taxes from recapture of certain prior-year credits, tax applicable to individual retirement arrangements (IRA's), social security taxes on self-employment income and on certain tip income, advanced earned income payments, household employment taxes, and certain "other taxes" listed in the Form 1040 instructions.
Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
U.S. Dollar amounts are in thousands of dollars.
| Year | Number of Returns | Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) | Income Tax After Credits | Percent of State's Personal Income Tax Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,572,157 | $457,842,010 | $26,040,523 | 20.7% |
| 2020 | 4,728,015 | $384,747,277 | $22,537,142 | 21.7% |
| 2019 | 4,653,590 | $379,777,072 | $21,143,806 | 21.1% |
| 2018 | 4,516,237 | $331,342,689 | $20,645,822 | 21.9% |
| 2017 | 4,433,194 | $346,811,236 | $19,724,146 | 22.9% |
| Year | Number of Returns | Total Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) | Total Income Tax Assessed | Percent of State's Total Income Tax Assessed |
| 2016 | 4,427,106 | $322,745,543 | $17,44,240 | 22.6% |
| 2015 | 4,255,233 | $310,621,984 | $16,810,162 | 22.5% |
| 2014 | 4,188,276 | $282,946,347 | $14,512,537 | 22.8% |
| 2013 | 4,099,191 | $267,252,031 | $13,466,440 | 23.2% |
| 2012 | 4,033,201 | $269,387,091 | $14,519,899 | 23.6% |
Source: California State Franchise Tax Board.
