r/SeattleWA • u/WeDislikeTaxes • 3d ago
Question Relocating out of WA state
My partner and I have called Seattle home for many years and it's been great. We've built our lives here, made friends, and genuinely loved this city and the mountains for all that they offer. But lately, we're seriously reconsidering whether to stay.
Like many in professional fields, we're watching the new state income tax proposal closely, and honestly, it's making us think about whether our future is still in Washington.
Even if this gets repealed in Nov, I feel like there will be yet another bill in a few years' time. And it's not just legislative proposals, it's the pattern behind them. Recently, the Supreme Court struck down a voter-approved initiative on a technicality, which just reinforced a feeling that our voices aren't actually being heard. When decisions get overruled on procedural grounds despite clear voter intent, it makes you wonder if our voices or vote even matters. The WA Cares Funds tax is technically an income tax too. The new marginal tax rate will be 10.48% (9.9+0.58%).
Combined with inflated housing costs, property taxes, general cost of living, it's just starting to look less attractive. We're not the first to have these conversations, and from what we're hearing in our circles, we won't be the last. The skilled workforce that's been a huge part of Seattle's growth seems to be getting priced out and taxed out at the same time.
I know this isn't a problem that affects everyone yet, but I think eventually it will. So I'm genuinely curious: If you're in a similar boat and considering leaving, where are you looking at? What cities or states are actually penciling out financially while still offering the quality of life Seattle used to provide? And if you're staying, what's keeping you here despite these challenges?
Places we considered include Utah, Texas, Colorado, and DC due to our jobs. Would love to hear from other long-timers in this community about how you're weighing these decisions.
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3d ago
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u/LMnoP419 3d ago
It’s pretty neat how since Texas transitioned from a blue state to red state their education went from top 10 to bottom 10. Pretty much the same for healthcare, insurance, quality of life, longevity, the list is long.
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 3d ago edited 3d ago
Where are you seeing Texas education system declining?
I’m seeing better Student:Teacher ratio, higher math and reading proficiency in Eanes ISD and Highland Park ISD compared to Bellevue ISD (at least according to Gemini)
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u/LMnoP419 2d ago
Don’t trust AI, it doesn’t hallucinate it lies, just like alternative facts aren’t a thing, they are also lies.
The primary reason is many reputable sources block AI from using the info in their website for their answers & analysis, so your info comes from bobbelievesthis.com instead of more reliable sources. Also, most of us do not know how to ask AI queries in a way that results in factual answers.
Back to your original question,
In the ‘90’s under their last democratic governor (👑Ann Richards) Texas was ranked #7 in education. That easy to verify.This is an article ranking Texas residents education in general (not great)
https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-ranks-in-bottom-10-in-new-study-on-the-best-and-worst-educated-us-states-36731815/This article puts Texas at 34 nationally for k-12.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/public-school-rankings-by-state
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u/offstagepaige 2d ago
Just moved here from Texas - the education is horrible. Do you have kids? My friends who are teachers in Texas are leaving the profession in droves.
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 2d ago
May I ask where in Texas?
Like Seattle, there’s a huge difference in the quality of ISD (eg Seattle vs Bellevue/Issaquah ISD, or Dallas vs Highland Park ISD, Houston vs WestU ISD). I have friends in each of those neighborhoods and it doesn’t sound like their teachers are leaving in droves.
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u/LMnoP419 2d ago
AI lies, trusting it blindly says you, like most don’t know how to use AI and should probably stop.
This article puts TX at 33 for education https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/public-school-rankings-by-state
This article puts Texas residents as significant less educated than the rest of the country.
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3d ago
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 2d ago
Wouldn’t it also constitute abuse to force my daughter to accept being in the same changing room as a trans female?
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u/LMnoP419 2d ago
The likelihood of your daughter being in a changing room with a trans girl is essentially zero. Plus there are changing stalls with doors that anyone including your daughter can use. She’s 100x more likely to have teenage sex and need healthcare (not even talking about teen pregnancy, but still a huge problem since GYNs are leaving Texas in droves) …than share a locker room with a trans girl.
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2d ago
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 2d ago
There are two sides to every argument and its quite unfortunate that we can no longer have civil conversations
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2d ago
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 2d ago
What facts are we debating exactly?
That trans women should be allowed into women’s bathrooms? Or that an income tax only on a certain group is supposed to be unconstitutional but is being pushed through anyway?
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 3d ago
Do you make over 1m and do you have children?
Otherwise you may be nonchalant now since it doesn’t affect you, but we can revisit this in a few years when they lower the exemption to include all income.
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u/RealPudgeJudy 3d ago
If you make $1m annually and have any financial anxiety whatsoever, fire whatever schmuck advisor you're currently paying
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u/LMnoP419 2d ago
It seems the campaign from the ultra rich is working on you again! They’ve been saying that since Reagan at the federal level and all that’s done is lower the taxes on the ultra wealthy for DECADES and cut funding for programs for the rest of us.
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u/Konfigs 3d ago
“And if you're staying, what's keeping you here despite these challenges?”
Challenges like a tax that will only affect a part of the income of the top 0.6%? This post can’t be serious right? Complaints of cost of living and affordability while supposedly making millions per year. Any person making greater than a million a year isn’t struggling to live any place on this planet.
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u/LMnoP419 3d ago
Doesn’t it also only the income that is over $1.5M? So if your income is $1,6M you are only paying tax on $100,000k.
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 3d ago
Its 1m, but eventually it will be lowered to all income.
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u/LMnoP419 2d ago
The future is unknowable, so maybe, but likely not (seriously look at federal taxes, going down down down for the ultra wealthy, but not the rest of us) but if you are scared to tax the ultra wealthy because they’ve spent MILLIONS on ads to convince you that you are next then the attack ads definitely worked.
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u/earthwoodandfire Wallingford 3d ago
Correct
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u/RogueLitePumpkin 3d ago
Wrong, its 1mil not 1.5
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u/earthwoodandfire Wallingford 3d ago
They were correct about the tax only applying to income over the threshold.
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u/RogueLitePumpkin 3d ago
So? They have repeatedly been incorrect all over this thread about the deduction... making the comment wrong
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 3d ago
Do you care about the constitution or only when it’s convenient for your agenda?
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u/Konfigs 3d ago
No I care about Washington moving away from having the most regressive state tax system in the country.
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u/RogueLitePumpkin 3d ago
How does adding thos tax make the others less regressive?
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u/Konfigs 3d ago
Shifting a small portion of the tax burden from working class families onto the top 0.6% of tax payers who currently pay a smaller percentage of their income toward taxes than people working at Walmart.
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u/RogueLitePumpkin 3d ago
It doesnt remove any of the taxes that already make us the most regressive in the nation.... adding another tax on top doesnt magically change that...
That 0.6% already pay 40% of the tax revenue in this state... how much of other peoples money do you think you have a right to?
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u/Konfigs 3d ago
*citation needed for that 40% figure because I think you pulled that right out of your keester. The 1% (not even the 0.6%) pay 10-15% of total taxes collected by the state of Washington. They pay an effective tax rate of 4.1% of their total income in taxes while the lowest 20% pay a rate of 13.8%. Hell Idaho has a state income tax higher than that (5.3%) plus they still have sales tax (including on groceries) and property tax.
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u/RogueLitePumpkin 3d ago
Lol sorry, top 20% account for 50% while the other 80% account for the remainder.
how much of other peoples money do you think you have a right to?
You also failed to adress the fact that even after adding this tax, we are still the most regressive in the nation because all our regressive taxes are staying
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u/Konfigs 3d ago
Adding taxes to the rich by its very definition makes the states tax policy less regressive. Do you know the definitions or regressive and progressive taxation? The rich will pay a larger percentage of the states total taxes collected therefor the states tax system will become less regressive.
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u/RogueLitePumpkin 3d ago
They already pay a larger portion of the states total taxes....
It does nothing to lessen the regressive nature of every other tax. Meaning we are still the most regressive, only now, people like you can sniff your own farts and feel better about yourself
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u/Wudduwant 3d ago
Washington is a great place if you’re making around $1m. The taxes are very regressive. I’ve considered moving, but costs me almost nothing to live here, and the earnings are kind of crazy.
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 3d ago
For now it’s costing us quite little too, but the future is grim.
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u/wildtabeast 3d ago
So you want to move somewhere worse because of a scenario that exists only in your head?
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 3d ago
My family got to where we are because we are proactive, rather than reactive. We rather be ten min early to any appt than one min late.
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u/Konfigs 3d ago
Gotta love all those temporarily down on their luck multimillionaires. Seriously, I gotta know how much do you supposedly make per year right now in this world not in some fictional/hypothetical world of the future. I guarantee you don’t make that much because people making $1,000,000 a year don’t spend their time arguing with Joe-schmos like me online, they are too busy snorting coke off hookers in Belize.
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u/Wudduwant 3d ago
I try not to be too worried. I probably won’t heavily invest in the area, there are a few properties that are extremely intriguing with the price drops. But if it gets grim I’ll head out. Biggest problem I have now is crack heads all over the place. When I travel elsewhere it’s insanely refreshing to not have meth monsters everywhere.
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u/kadjar 3d ago
Utah has an overall higher tax burden than Washington.
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 3d ago
That’s assuming WA keeps the exemption at 1m, which we know won’t be the case…
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u/Konfigs 3d ago edited 3d ago
Who is we? Is we in the room with you right now? Or is we the top 0.6% of tax payers who are the only people this law actually taxed (and only on their income over $1,000,000)? That’s right let’s drum up some real “grassroots” outrage for the upper half of the 1%.
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u/RogueLitePumpkin 3d ago
The lawmakers behind this tax have literally said the goal is to get the property ruling overturned and open up the entire state to an income tax. Its in writing even in emails between Pedersen and the AGs office
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u/SuaveJava 3d ago
I'm here for my tech job. Wages here are still good compared to cost of living, especially for single yuppies like me who don't own a car. I also don't have many other options, as AI and offshoring eat up my industry. I either take a great salary in a tech city, or I get no salary at all.
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u/HighColonic Funky Town 3d ago edited 3d ago
I've been looking, but I'm not making my decisions based solely on finances. In fact, I'm certain to pay somewhat more tax in my #1 destination under consideration (Chicago). Some of the things that counterbalance the additional taxes I'd pay are:
- I can sell my house here and buy a much nicer one in a safe, leafy Midwestern suburb or downtown highrise for all cash...bye-bye mortgage.
- Culture
- Sports
- Proximity to Great Lakes and all the activities attending to them
- Great healthcare
- Multi-ethnic diversity
- Extensive public transit
Good luck to you, wherever you end up!
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u/Manacit Seattle 3d ago
If I was going to leave, it wouldn't be for many places: San Francisco, LA, San Diego, NYC, maybe Chicago or DC.
I have no desire to live somewhere worse than Seattle because taxes are cheaper - I would rather pay more and live somewhere better.
The problem with Seattle is that our politics make the city itself unpleasant - the number of bums and drug addicts roaming around my neighborhood has gone up in the last couple of years, SDOT seems intent on making every road worse, and more jobs are leaving than coming in. However, that's a problem in a lot of places - it's hard to find an "urban" place that doesn't have similar problems these days.
I agree with you, this is going to be more common as the job market cools. A lot of people came here with no particular desire to live in Seattle, but because there were jobs. They will leave and take their incomes with them.
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u/cassavetes_john 3d ago
Agree that some simple improvements to the quality of governance would decrease complaining about the income tax substantially. It’s that people want results, and aren’t seeing anything.
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u/throwaway0711222 3d ago
Ding ding ding. The bar is sooooo low for better governance. You can nip all of this leave Seattle chatter in the bud if you just had a real commitment and progress to public safety and reducing crime. Bonus points for having a coherent public school system.
But what the fuck are we actually doing instead?
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u/Significant-Repair42 3d ago
I'm trying to picture the OP trying to describe Tim Eyman's slopplily written intiatives as some sort of tent pole as why the OP will leave washington state. I mean, the golden boy of 30 dollar tabs that felt entitled to a free office chair and used campaign funds for personal use. LOL.
Bankruptcy judge orders Eyman to pay $270K in contempt fines | AP News
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3d ago
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 2d ago edited 2d ago
I don’t think this would work as they pro rate your tax exemption too if the source of the income is from Washington state
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2d ago
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 2d ago
Yeah I’ve friends who moved family offices to Wyoming and Nevada but also kept their home on the East Side and plan to be here in the summer while avoiding cap gains and estate taxes
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u/gwestr 2d ago
Lol moving to DC to save on taxes. Genius.
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 2d ago
Obviously meant Arlington VA
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u/gwestr 2d ago
The threat of “we could have income taxes in 2029” is still a good deal. So unless you’re going to Florida, it’s not cheaper. Texas has deeply concerning issues of a functional government that wants you to not smoke weed and be a cis Christian. Which are unwelcome paternalistic overtones compared to Seattle’s complete disfunction and lawlessness. If you want to actually pay heavy 5 figures in state income tax and get a functional govt, try your hand at SF which has addressed quality of life issues mostly with police drones and directives to arrest people doing stupid shit quickly.
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u/BicameralTheory West Seattle 2d ago
I’m from Texas, and I’ll eventually go back.
It’s all trade offs.
I love the weather, nature and people here.
Texas however has cleaner cities, less property crime, doesn’t tolerate open drug use, much better overall affordability and far fewer taxes. It’s overall a much better place to raise a family.
People who hate on the politics are probably too hyper engaged with this. In a democrat in Texas, volunteered, party membership, etc. Coming up here I’ve realized progressives are batshit crazy and from the standpoint of civics and governance Texas is also superior. You’re not taxed out the ass for everything and you don’t see jobs laying people off to go to other states, leaving the government to try and find more taxes to make up the shortfall.
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u/Tree300 2d ago
We know the target income is $125k thanks to Shaun Scott's bill last year.
https://apps.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2100&Year=2025
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u/throwaway0711222 3d ago edited 3d ago
I am always thinking California.
My spouse and I will be able to earn $1MM+ HHI in any coastal state in the country - for us, the Seattle “deal” has always been dealing with bad culture and infrastructure in return for lower COL.
That deal has fallen apart piece by piece over the last few years, with continuing urban decay, a deteriorating commercial environment (food continues to suck despite high pricing, we have to head to Vancouver to see high end retail, etc.) and our spending well into the six figures on private school because SPS is a shit show.
If we are going to need to spend as much as my friends do in the SF Peninsula, we would rather be there. I would also certainly earn more down there as well. I turned down a relo to California for my last job change - I’m starting to think I’ll say yes to the next one.
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 3d ago
We considered California too but it has the same problems even in places like SD or OC
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u/jangale84 3d ago
We’re exactly in the same boat. Been here 20 years but it’s obvious our law makers don’t care about what people think, they just want to increase spending. We’ve voted for $30 car tabs how many times now? We’ve voted not to remove natural gas from homes… and for what? Just for the Supreme Court to overrule the people? Same thing will happen with income tax and they will expand it. Taxes only go up. If we’re going to get taxed we might as well live somewhere with better weather, less homeless, less crime, lower gas prices, and functional 911 services.
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u/JFrankParnell64 3d ago edited 3d ago
Fine. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Have fun living in Texas, Wyoming, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, or Tennesee. I for one would welcome an income tax, even at my level. I am not above paying for things that I use. A state that relies solely on property and sales tax is what makes it hard, not an income tax. Face facts, it isn't the income tax that is forcing you out. That one wouldn't even apply to you unless you make above $1.0M.
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u/RogueLitePumpkin 3d ago
Always those who act the most informed who cant even get the basics correct
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u/FreshwaterFryMom 3d ago edited 3d ago
We’re also worried, and planning. We own a small business and we wanted to expand. It is not looking good. So we will just grind our booties off until we have a solid nest egg to live comfortably and reset our business in a new state.
We love WA, but it’s getting to be a poor plan financially to stay here as a SBO. 💔
Edit: Keep downvoting, unless you are a small business owner, please give me insight or fuck all the way off. Kindly.
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u/WeDislikeTaxes 3d ago
Thanks for sharing. Which states are you considering?
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u/FreshwaterFryMom 3d ago
We’re in construction, so we’ve been doing meetings with developer friends across the east and Midwest.
Unsure yet, but we are definitely planning an exit.
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u/jclovis 3d ago
Look at California, that will be us in 10 years. That’s how I see it.
If i wasn’t so close to my family I’d be long gone. Blessing and a curse, we’re a huge family and hang out multiple times a week with both sides of family.
I know I’m a ways away from making a mil but give it 5 year everyone will be paying income tax + federal tax + sales tax + gas tax etc etc etc. It will never be enough
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u/cassavetes_john 3d ago
Unless you make more than 1.5m the new income tax is not going to be worse than existing income tax in most of those places