Employee Cost: Indiana vs Wyoming (2026)

Side-by-side comparison of employer costs, payroll taxes, SUTA rates, and workers' comp.

At a $60,000 salary

Indiana saves $428/employee/year

$65,285 in Indiana vs $65,713 in Wyoming

Indiana

$65,285

1.09x salary

Wyoming

$65,713

1.1x salary

Cost Breakdown Comparison

Based on $60,000 annual salary

Cost Component IN WY Diff
Base Salary $60,000 $60,000
Social Security (6.2%) $3,720 $3,720
Medicare (1.45%) $870 $870
FUTA (0.6%) $42 $42
SUTA (State Unemployment) $143 $331 -$188
Workers' Compensation $510 $750 -$240
Total Employer Cost $65,285 $65,713 -$428

Tax Rate Comparison

Rate Indiana Wyoming
SUTA Rate Range 0.5% – 7.4% 0.08% – 8.78%
SUTA Typical Rate 1.5% 1.07%
SUTA Wage Base $9,500 $30,900
Workers' Comp Rate 0.85% 1.25%
State Income Tax Yes No

What This Means for Employers

For a business hiring at a $60,000 salary, choosing Indiana over Wyoming saves $428 per employee per year in employer-side payroll costs alone. For a team of 10, that's $4,281 annually.

The biggest difference comes from workers' compensation rates — Indiana charges 0.85% vs Wyoming's 1.25%. Note that federal taxes (Social Security, Medicare, FUTA) are identical in both states.

These numbers reflect employer-side costs only and don't include benefits, overhead, or the employee's own tax burden. Use the interactive Employee Cost Calculator to model different salary levels and benefits packages.

Cost Comparison at Different Salary Levels

How the gap changes from $30K to $150K

Salary IN Total WY Total Difference
$30,000 $32,735 $33,033 -$299
$40,000 $43,585 $43,933 -$348
$50,000 $54,435 $54,823 -$388
$60,000 $65,285 $65,713 -$428
$75,000 $81,560 $82,048 -$488
$100,000 $108,685 $109,273 -$588
$125,000 $135,810 $136,498 -$688
$150,000 $162,935 $163,723 -$788

Click any amount to see the full cost breakdown for that salary and state. Amounts shown from the perspective of IN.

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