How does your state stack up when it comes to taxes? Students break down the numbers in this interactive activity. 

The Activity

In DESMOS: Exploring State and Local Tax Rates, students read stacked bar graphs to compare how taxes vary from state to state. This activity is a part of Lesson 1.4: Types of Taxes in the Financial Algebra course.

Part 1: Average State and Local Taxes

First, student analyze the national average for how much people pay in state and local taxes, including income, sales, and property taxes.

Teacher Tips:

• Most questions allow students to check their own work
• You can monitor students’ progress using the teacher dashboard, which includes a warning if a student attempts a self-checking question more than three times.

Part 2: How Does Your State Stack Up?

Next, students look up data for a specific state and compare it to the national average.

Part 3: Make a Prediction

Students make predictions about state with NO income taxes. Then, they toggle through the data to check their predictions.

Finally, students reflect on whether they would want to live in a state with no income taxes.

Teacher Tips:

• You can use the teacher dashboard to view students’ responses and choose a few to share with the class.
• One key takeaway: States without income taxes tend to have more regressive state tax structures and lower overall tax rates.

We hope this activity could be a great fit in your personal finance or math classroom! You can find this activity and more in the NGPF Financial Algebra Desmos Collection.

Get started with Desmos using NGPF’s Desmos Tutorial Video Playlist!

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.