Employee Cost Calculator

What an $80,000 Employee Costs in Every State

TrueHireCost analysis: the fully loaded annual cost of an $80,000 employee in all 50 states plus DC, ranked from lowest to highest. See SUTA, workers’ comp, loaded cost, and burden multiplier per state.

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The fully loaded cost of an $80,000 employee in every state

All 51 jurisdictions ranked from lowest to highest fully loaded annual cost for the same $80,000 office role with standard benefits.

The spread from $100,952 (1.26×) to $103,441 (1.29×) is driven by SUTA rates, wage bases, and workers’ comp — federal taxes are identical everywhere. A CSV download with every state’s figures is available on the live page.

Rank	State	SUTA	WC/$100	Loaded cost	Multiplier
1	Tennessee	1%	$0.90	$100,952	1.26×
2	Virginia	1%	$0.90	$100,962	1.26×
3	South Carolina	0.6%	$0.90	$100,966	1.26×
4	South Dakota	1%	$0.80	$100,972	1.26×
5	Kansas	1%	$0.90	$101,022	1.26×
6	Mississippi	1%	$0.90	$101,022	1.26×
7	Indiana	1.5%	$0.90	$101,025	1.26×
8	Louisiana	1%	$1	$101,039	1.26×
9	Maryland	1%	$1	$101,047	1.26×
10	Missouri	1%	$1	$101,067	1.26×
11	Florida	2.7%	$0.90	$101,071	1.26×
12	Wyoming	1%	$0.80	$101,093	1.26×
13	West Virginia	1.5%	$1	$101,097	1.26×
14	Alabama	2.7%	$0.90	$101,098	1.26×
15	Arizona	2%	$1	$101,122	1.26×
16	Nebraska	1%	$0.90	$101,152	1.26×
17	Maine	1%	$1.10	$101,162	1.26×
18	Vermont	1%	$1.10	$101,181	1.26×
19	New Mexico	1%	$0.90	$101,199	1.26×
20	Ohio	2.7%	$1	$101,205	1.27×
21	Texas	2.7%	$1	$101,205	1.27×
22	North Dakota	1%	$0.80	$101,213	1.27×
23	Georgia	2.7%	$1	$101,219	1.27×
24	North Carolina	1%	$0.90	$101,224	1.27×
25	Arkansas	3.1%	$1.10	$101,259	1.27×
26	Delaware	1.8%	$1	$101,259	1.27×
27	District of Columbia	2.7%	$1.10	$101,285	1.27×
28	Oklahoma	1.5%	$1	$101,294	1.27×
29	Idaho	1%	$0.80	$101,301	1.27×
30	Rhode Island	1%	$1.10	$101,322	1.27×
31	Kentucky	2.7%	$1.10	$101,339	1.27×
32	New Hampshire	2.7%	$1	$101,340	1.27×
33	Iowa	1%	$1	$101,344	1.27×
34	California	3.4%	$1.20	$101,360	1.27×
35	Utah	1%	$0.90	$101,373	1.27×
36	Michigan	2.7%	$1.20	$101,379	1.27×
37	Minnesota	1%	$1	$101,382	1.27×
38	Massachusetts	2.4%	$1.10	$101,402	1.27×
39	Wisconsin	3.05%	$1.10	$101,469	1.27×
40	Montana	1%	$1.10	$101,473	1.27×
41	Pennsylvania	3.7%	$1.20	$101,492	1.27×
42	New York	4.1%	$1.10	$101,534	1.27×
43	Connecticut	1.9%	$1.30	$101,715	1.27×
44	Illinois	3.9%	$1.30	$101,748	1.27×
45	Colorado	3.05%	$1	$101,895	1.27×
46	New Jersey	1.9%	$1.30	$102,013	1.28×
47	Hawaii	1.7%	$1.20	$102,135	1.28×
48	Alaska	1.7%	$1.60	$102,243	1.28×
49	Nevada	2.95%	$1.20	$102,329	1.28×
50	Oregon	2.6%	$1.20	$102,487	1.28×
51	Washington	3.4%	$1.40	$103,441	1.29×

Related resources

2026 Employee Cost Index
The full ranked table of fully loaded $80,000 employee cost in every state.
Highest-burden states
The 10 states where the same role costs the employer the most.
Compare Employee Costs by State
Sortable 50-state + DC comparison with CSV export.

Data Sources & Methodology

Every rate and formula is checked against the issuing agency before publication. Last updated 2026-08-24.

IRS

FICA, FUTA tax rate & wage base

U.S. DOL

FUTA credit, federal wage & hour

State Workforce Agencies

SUTA rates, wage bases, new-employer rates

BLS

Industry salary benchmarks & turnover

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fully loaded cost of an employee?

The fully loaded cost of an employee is the total annual cost to employ them: base salary plus employer payroll taxes (FICA, FUTA, SUTA), workers’ compensation, benefits, and overhead. Using TrueHireCost’s current default assumptions, an $80,000 employee has an estimated annual employer cost of approximately $101,207. Actual costs vary by state, benefits, workers’ compensation, retirement contributions, and overhead. Under those defaults the loaded multiplier is about 1.27× base salary ($101,207).

How is the fully loaded employee cost calculated?

TrueHireCost adds employer FICA (7.65%), federal and state unemployment tax, workers’ comp (varies by state and industry), benefits, and overhead to the base salary. You can adjust each input for any U.S. state and industry.

What employer taxes do I pay on top of salary?

Employers pay 7.65% FICA (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare), FUTA (up to 0.6% on the first $7,000), state unemployment (SUTA), and state disability insurance where applicable.

Is the TrueHireCost calculator free?

Yes. The TrueHireCost employee cost calculator is free to use, requires no sign-up, and works for all 50 U.S. states and 20 major industries.

For Estimation Purposes Only

TrueHireCost provides cost estimates for informational purposes only and is not professional tax, legal, or HR advice. Actual employer costs vary by experience rating, industry classification, carrier, and jurisdiction. Consult a qualified CPA, tax advisor, or HR professional before making hiring or payroll decisions.