It’s likely safe to assume that the majority of individuals dislike paying taxes. Many believe their payments are excessive.
According to a Gallup poll, 60% of American taxpayers think their federal income tax burden is excessive. Furthermore, a recent survey from 2025 shows that slightly more than half of participants believe income taxes are unjust.
Therefore, it is appropriate to think about the distribution of the tax burden in the United States as the 2025 tax season draws to a close. For most people, the federal tax deadline was April 15. The age groups that contribute the most to the country’s tax revenue are shown by recent studies. Which generation, then, is the largest taxpayer?
The main contributors:
- People aged 45 to 55 pay around 30% of all income taxes.
- The percentage for the 50–55 age range is 17.6%, which is rather higher.
Luke Gromen: “The US takes in 5 trillion dollars in tax receipts a year, and right now we are paying baby boomers 3.3 trillion dollars of that in entitlements every year.”
Tucker Carlson: “Has there ever been a generation that’s deserved it less?”
— Eric Conn (@Eric_Conn) February 26, 2025
The highest portion of the income tax burden in the United States is borne by individuals between the ages of 45 and 55, as per a Tax Foundation analysis. Approximately 29% of all income taxes paid to the federal government come from this age bracket.
According to the study, which looked at IRS data, people between the ages of 45 and 55 pay the highest absolute taxes and have the highest effective tax rates. (IRS data from 2024 typically confirm peak tax rates around age 55, but lack age-specific shares.)
Tax rates by age data from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) corroborate those findings.
According to the NBER model, the highest (and comparable) average tax rates are faced by those in their mid-40s to mid-50s:
- The average tax rate for those aged 45 to 50 is 17.2%.
- The percentage for the 50–55 age range is 17.6%, which is rather higher.
Why is this age group so expensive? Their wages may hold the answer.
According to a study by the Tax Foundation, individuals between the ages of 45 and 55 are often in their prime earning years and make up 26% of the country’s adjusted gross income (AGI). (This is true even though they only account for 18% of all federal income tax returns.)
Furthermore, people in their late 40s to mid-50s sometimes experience additional financial constraints as members of the “sandwich generation,” as if high taxes weren’t enough.
This group frequently manages their own mid-career and financial difficulties while also providing simultaneous support to aging parents and adult children.
Age-specific tax burden: What about retirees and Gen Z taxes?
The largest average annual tax burden, $36,140, is borne by households with people between the ages of 45 and 54. The federal government received $24,149 of this sum, while state and local governments received $11,991.
Despite having average family incomes that are only roughly 2.6 times higher than those of people 75 and older, the tax burden on individuals in the 45–54 age range is 4.3 times more.
Younger people, on the other hand, make a far smaller contribution to the total tax burden.
MAGA Boomer: At your age I paid off college & bought a house w/hard work
Millennials: At your age college was 3% of median salary—Now its 20%. A median home was $17K—Now its $363K. The top marginal tax rate was 70%—now its 37%. You worked hard—& then closed the door behind you.
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) August 25, 2022
Only 11% of all taxes are paid by people under the age of 35, according to data. Despite accounting for 35% of all tax filers, it is the case. Research indicates that lower incomes and a possibly higher percentage of non-payers in that age group are the main causes of the decreased burden. According to studies, older folks’ tax burden appears to lessen as they get closer to and enter retirement.
According to research by the Tax Foundation, median total tax rates for people over 60 fell below 5% by the age of 68 and below 2% by the age of 74. According to reports, the primary cause of that drop is the move from earned income to retirement income sources, some of which are tax-exempt.
As per a Pew Charitable Trusts study, tax burdens will probably change in the upcoming years due to the aging population. The relative load on younger workers may rise as the percentage of retirees rises.
Those between the ages of 55 and 65 contribute almost 23% of all income taxes, making them the next greatest tax-paying cohort. Together, the 45–65 age group accounts for more than half of all taxes collected in the United States.
