Washington still desirable

I won’t try to convince anyone that Washington is a low tax state because it’s not.

Don Brunell’s opinion piece on May 7 made some excellent points about affordability and state taxes.

That said, taxes are only one component of a state’s desirability.

Alaska, the least-taxed state in the nation (taxfoundation.org), saw a significant population outflow from July 2020 to July 2024 (geocurrents.info).

Cost of living is major consideration, with housing the biggest piece. Movebuddha, a relocation assistance service, said “we found a strong correlation between rising home prices and the top and bottom states to consider moving to in 2024.”

Washington’s typical home value is over $600,000, more than twice as high as South Carolina and well above Florida and Texas (Zillow). Although housing costs are lower, Floridians are now dealing with skyrocketing home insurance costs.

Despite our tax structure and housing costs, Washington is still highly regarded when compared to other states.

The U.S. News Best States to Live 2025 rankings had Washington ranked #10.

The Evergreen State scored highly in infrastructure, natural environment (air and water quality, and pollution) energy, transportation, internet access and education.

Washington ranked #46 for affordability, primarily due to housing costs. As Mr. Brunell points out, we need to make sure cumulative taxes don’t make us more unaffordable than we already are. But we also have a lot of other things going for us.

Louis Kalmar

Sequim