While Oklahoma has a reputation for being a politically conservative state, a new ranking shows that Oklahoma is not as “low tax” as that reputation might lead one to believe.

The state’s personal income tax rate, which is among the highest in the region, is a significant reason for Oklahoma’s middling performance in the analysis.

The report, released by WalletHub, compared state and local tax rates in the 50 states and the District of Columbia against national medians and calculated relative income-tax obligations by applying the effective income-tax rates in each state and locality to the average American’s income.

“Every year during tax season, Americans are reminded of just how much of their hard-earned income isn’t theirs to keep,” said WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo. “Living in the right state can ease the stress of tax time, though, as taxpayers in the least expensive states pay less than half as much as those in the most expensive states.”

Oklahoma ranked 24th nationally, barely breaking into the top half of states, when analysts calculated the percentage of taxes paid as a percentage of the average American’s income. State and local taxes in Oklahoma were only 2.19 percent lower than the national average.

Oklahoma’s rank improved only slightly when analysts adjusted for cost of living, which is lower in Oklahoma than most states. By that metric, Oklahoma still ranked only 18th best in the nation.

Oklahoma’s income tax burden ranked in the bottom half of states, placing 27th overall in that category.

Oklahoma’s current 4.75 percent personal income tax rate is among the highest in the region.

Texas has no personal income tax while Colorado imposes a 4.4 percent rate most years and recently provided a temporary reduction to 4.25 percent. Officials in Arkansas have cut their rate to 3.9 percent. The top rate in Missouri fell to 4.7 percent in January, leapfrogging Oklahoma, and is set to decline further to 4.5 percent once revenue growth hits a certain target. Louisiana has cut its income-tax rate to 3 percent and has a “trigger” law in place to further cut the rate as revenue increases in future years.

Among bordering states, only Kansas and New Mexico have higher personal income-tax rates than Oklahoma.

The WalletHub report noted that differences in state taxes can have significant impact.

“Every year, the average U.S. household pays nearly $14,000 in federal income taxes. And while we’re all faced with that same obligation, there is significant difference when it comes to state and local taxes,” the report stated. “Taxpayers in the most tax-expensive states, for instance, pay over two times more than those in the cheapest states.”

Efforts to reduce Oklahoma’s personal income-tax have run aground in recent years, but lawmakers are considering a bill this year that would put the tax on a gradual path to full repeal.

House Bill 1539, by state Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, would cut the state’s personal income-tax rate by a quarter point each time that net state revenue increases by at least $300 million.

Because state revenue is down slightly this year, passage of HB 1539 would not have any immediate impact on Oklahoma’s income-tax rate, but it would mandate future tax cuts once growth resumes at sufficient levels.

HB 1539 recently passed the House Appropriations and Budget Committee on a 25-6 vote and now awaits a vote from the full body of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.