Taxes & Insurance in Des Moines
Des Moines residents pay no state income tax but face a genuinely high combined sales tax rate; property tax follows King County's countywide rate, and waterfront proximity is a real factor in some insurance considerations.
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Learn moreNo state income tax, with a real, narrow-base exception
Washington levies no state individual income tax. Its real capital gains excise tax applies to long-term gains above an annual threshold at 7%, rising to 9.9% above $1 million in gains as of the 2025 expansion -- a genuinely narrow-base tax reaching only a small share of high-earning taxpayers.
A genuinely high combined sales tax rate
Des Moines' combined 2026 sales tax rate is 10.4% -- Washington's 6.5% state base plus a 3.9% city/local component -- identical to the combined rate documented in this build's companion burien-wa.js record.
Property tax at King County's highest-in-state countywide rate
Des Moines' effective property tax rate runs at approximately 0.83% -- the same King County countywide average established in this project's companion bellevue-wa.js record, and the highest countywide rate of Washington's 39 counties.
Waterfront and marina-adjacent properties may carry real, distinct insurance considerations
Properties near the Des Moines Marina or directly on Puget Sound may carry different homeowners and flood-insurance considerations than inland properties within the same city -- confirm a specific address's requirements directly rather than assuming a uniform citywide rate.
Key takeaways
- No state income tax, though Washington's real capital gains excise tax (7%-9.9%) applies to high earners statewide.
- Des Moines' combined 10.4% sales tax rate matches Burien's and runs on the higher end of this build's Washington Tier B markets.
- Property tax (approximately 0.83% effective) follows King County's countywide rate.
- Waterfront and marina-adjacent properties may carry distinct insurance considerations -- confirm directly.
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