The STC survey includes five broad tax categories and up to 25 subcategories. Data is gathered from all 50 state governments and all dependent state-level entities.
The Census Bureau cautions it sets the tax classifications among the survey categories, and they may differ from the classifications set by the state governments.
Below is a breakdown of how taxes were classified by the bureau and how much was collected.
U.S. license taxes by State in 2021
| Rank | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $11,292,132,000 |
| 2 | Illinois | $3,818,851,000 |
| 3 | Texas | $3,646,437,000 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $2,955,413,000 |
| 5 | North Carolina | $2,596,969,000 |
| 6 | Florida | $2,509,455,000 |
| 7 | Oregon | $2,483,742,000 |
| 8 | Tennessee | $2,333,130,000 |
| 9 | Michigan | $2,178,822,000 |
| 10 | Delaware | $2,076,828,000 |
| 11 | Washington | $2,072,634,000 |
| 12 | Ohio | $2,029,060,000 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $1,986,338,000 |
| 14 | New York | $1,793,375,000 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $1,505,670,000 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $1,340,711,000 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $1,274,252,000 |
| 18 | Iowa | $1,101,447,000 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | $1,085,111,000 |
| 20 | Virginia | $995,094,000 |
| 21 | Maryland | $969,440,000 |
| 22 | Indiana | $819,109,000 |
| 23 | Georgia | $750,136,000 |
| 24 | Colorado | $720,335,000 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $707,027,000 |
| 26 | Missouri | $691,696,000 |
| 27 | Nevada | $623,260,000 |
| 28 | Arizona | $618,052,000 |
| 29 | Alabama | $606,351,000 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $570,447,000 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $533,047,000 |
| 32 | Montana | $481,678,000 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $477,174,000 |
| 34 | Idaho | $473,872,000 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $472,669,000 |
| 36 | Kansas | $457,796,000 |
| 37 | Arkansas | $423,851,000 |
| 38 | Connecticut | $387,836,000 |
| 39 | Utah | $371,684,000 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $343,487,000 |
| 41 | Maine | $325,922,000 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $300,687,000 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $258,953,000 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $212,497,000 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $210,333,000 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $196,902,000 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $194,771,000 |
| 48 | District of Columbia | $183,696,000 |
| 49 | Alaska | $153,176,000 |
| 50 | Vermont | $143,501,000 |
| 51 | Rhode Island | $137,010,000 |