New Jersey vs Pennsylvania: take-home pay and taxes
On a $75,000 salary you take home $58,157 a year in New Jersey and $59,237 in Pennsylvania — $1,080 more in Pennsylvania. But prices are about 12% higher in New Jersey, so moving from New Jersey to Pennsylvania on the same take-home after prices takes $64,723.
| Per year | Offer A · New Jersey | Offer B · Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Pay (salary and bonus) | $75,000 | $75,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$7,670 | −$7,670 |
| Social Security and Medicare | −$5,737 | −$5,737 |
| State and local taxes | −$3,435 | −$2,355 |
| Take-home | $58,157 | $59,237 |
| Offer value (take-home + match + benefits − commute) | $58,157 | $59,237 |
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | 108.8 | 97.6 |
| Value in U.S.-average prices | $53,451 | $60,712 |
Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for the state — what the same things cost there compared with the U.S. average, housing included. It's an average for the whole state, not a budget. The matching salary keeps Offer A's take-home after prices, with the same W-4 and no 401(k) or benefits.
Take-home pay in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
| Salary | New Jersey take-home | Pennsylvania take-home | New Jersey state taxes | Pennsylvania state taxes | Pennsylvania vs New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $40,550 | $40,785 | $1,805 | $1,570 | +$235 |
| $75,000 | $58,157 | $59,237 | $3,435 | $2,355 | +$1,080 |
| $100,000 | $73,890 | $76,040 | $5,290 | $3,140 | +$2,150 |
| $150,000 | $104,790 | $109,081 | $9,001 | $4,710 | +$4,290 |
| $200,000 | $136,338 | $142,647 | $12,589 | $6,280 | +$6,309 |
A year. Single filer, paid every two weeks, standard W-4, each state's default form choices, no 401(k) or benefits. Federal tax, Social Security and Medicare are the same in both; the whole difference is state and local tax and state payroll premiums.
What makes up the difference
- New Jersey: a graduated income tax, plus NJ unemployment & workforce (UI/WF/SWF), NJ disability insurance (TDI), NJ family leave insurance (FLI) — $3,435 a year on $75,000.
- Pennsylvania: a flat income tax, plus PA unemployment compensation, Local earned income tax — $2,355 a year on $75,000.
The salary you'd need to move
| Salary now | New Jersey → Pennsylvania: same take-home | … after prices | Pennsylvania → New Jersey: same take-home | … after prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $59,257 | $52,848 | $60,776 | $68,628 |
| $75,000 | $73,393 | $64,723 | $76,717 | $87,554 |
| $100,000 | $96,801 | $85,451 | $103,417 | $117,328 |
"After prices" uses the Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities for 2024: New Jersey 108.8, Pennsylvania 97.6 (U.S. = 100). Housing is most of the gap — rents are 134.3 in New Jersey and 85.1 in Pennsylvania on the same scale. These are state averages: a big city can cost well above its state's figure. See what rent fits in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. On $75,000, the reverse move — Pennsylvania to New Jersey — needs $87,554 for the same take-home after prices; Pennsylvania is the cheaper state.
Who moves between them
About 38,467 people moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania and 25,902 from Pennsylvania to New Jersey in 2024, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey — one of the 40 busiest pairs of states we cover. Survey estimates have margins of error.
If you move: your W-4 and state forms
Your federal W-4 doesn't change with the state. Give your employer Pennsylvania's withholding form so it withholds Pennsylvania tax, and make sure New Jersey withholding stops once you no longer live or work there. Moving mid-year usually means a part-year resident return in both states. Working remotely for an employer in the other state has its own rules — see the moving between states tax guide.
How it's worked out
- Take-home in each state from the same engine as our paycheck calculators: IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Social Security and Medicare, and each state's own withholding formula, payroll premiums and default form choices.
- Prices from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities for 2024 (released 2026-02-19): each state's price level for everyday spending, with the U.S. at 100. Dividing take-home by it puts both offers in the same dollars.
- The matching salary is found by searching salaries in the second state until its take-home, after prices, equals the first — to the cent.
More comparisons
New Jersey paycheck calculator · Pennsylvania paycheck calculator · Job offer comparison · Salary needed to move · New Jersey vs New York · Florida vs New Jersey · Florida vs Pennsylvania · New York vs Pennsylvania
Sources
- BEA — Real Personal Consumption Expenditures by State and Real Personal Income by State, 2024 (Feb 19, 2026) — Regional Price Parities: California 110.7, Hawaii 110.0, D.C. 109.9, New Jersey 108.8 highest; Arkansas 86.9 lowest; full table SARPP in BEA's interactive data (checked 2026-09-27)
- FRED (St. Louis Fed) — 2024 Regional Price Parities by State (BEA data) — all items, goods, rents and other services for every state and D.C. (checked 2026-09-27)
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
- Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500
- U.S. Census Bureau — State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024 (ACS 1-year, Table 1) — movers age 1 and over by current state and state of residence one year earlier; estimates with margins of error (checked 2026-09-27)
- N.J. Division of Taxation — New Jersey Withholding Rate Tables (percentage method, paid on and after October 1, 2020) — Rate A–E annual and per-period tables; 1.5% to 11.8%
- Pennsylvania DCED — Local Services Tax (LST) — no more than $52 a year in total; where the levy is over $10, withheld pro rata each payroll period at the place of employment and people earning under $12,000 there are exempt; one LST per payroll period (last modified November 24, 2025; checked 2026-09-27)
Questions
Do you take home more in New Jersey or Pennsylvania?
In Pennsylvania: $1,080 more a year on $75,000 (single filer). New Jersey state taxes are $3,435 and Pennsylvania's $2,355 on that salary.
What salary in Pennsylvania equals $75,000 in New Jersey?
$73,393 for the same take-home pay, or $64,723 for the same take-home after prices (BEA Regional Price Parities: New Jersey 108.8, Pennsylvania 97.6).
Is New Jersey or Pennsylvania cheaper to live in?
Pennsylvania: BEA puts prices about 12% lower there than in New Jersey on average, mostly because of housing. Costs vary a lot between cities within each state.