‘I wish we got more for our money’: Jake, Spike dig into what Washingtonians pay in taxes over a lifetime

A new map from Visual Capitalist estimates the total amount of taxes an average person will pay over their lifetime in each state, factoring in a 45-year working life, a 79.6-year life expectancy, homeownership starting at age 40, and five vehicles. The results range from roughly $509,000 in Florida to $1.36 million in New Jersey. Washington landed at $816,000, making it the 16th most-taxed state.

Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill, co-hosts of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, dug into the numbers, and Jake said the raw dollar amount is only half the story.

Jake says the real problem is what WA gets for its $816,000

Jake said he went beyond the map and looked at return on investment, including how each state ranks in education, health, safety, economy, and infrastructure relative to how much it taxes its residents. Washington didn’t fare well.

“We are the 16th most-taxed state at $816,000. We rank 27th for return on investment, so we’re a little less than half,” Jake said. “You would think if the state’s asking you for more of your income through taxation, they’re going to deliver services.”

He pointed to Utah and Florida as models. Utah spends more than $100,000 less per lifetime than Washington but ranks fifth in return on investment. Florida, the lowest-taxed state at roughly $509,000, still ranks in the top 20 in nearly every major category.

“Can Bob Ferguson please send somebody to Utah, find out what Utah is doing?” Jake said. “Because $816,000 is a lot. I wish we got more for our money.”

Spike says the high-tax states are the ones with the biggest cities

Spike said the map tells a familiar story, that the highest-taxed states are the ones with the largest metropolitan areas and the greatest demand for social services.

“It seems to me that the places where you spend the most in taxes over the course of your earning lifetime are all the highly concentrated places with big cities and metropolitan areas,” Spike said. “The New England area carries most. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Illinois, Colorado, Washington. These major metropolitan, big-city places are the ones that have more needs for social services and thus the need to tax their citizenry more.”

He also noted that Florida’s low number comes with context: it’s a state built more around retirees than opportunity.

“Florida’s opportunity is lower because that’s where people take their money, not make their money,” Spike said. “Florida is the state where retirees go. For a large percentage of their population, they don’t need opportunity. They just need people to live out their lives in comfort and get the services for the taxes they do pay. And Florida seems to be delivering.”

Jake agreed but pushed back slightly, arguing that businesses are increasingly moving to states like Florida and Texas because of friendlier tax environments — and that Washington could see those numbers shift if the state’s income tax survives legal challenges.

“I do think we are seeing more businesses move to places like Florida and Texas, which do have a friendlier tax environment than Washington does,” Jake responded. “In the long term, you’re probably going to see those places show up a little more on the list. Will you see those numbers decrease in Washington in the next few years if the income tax upholds against the challengers? I don’t know. We’ll find out. It is interesting to look at the numbers, though. That just seems like a lot of money.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3