U.S. Census Office, Taxation on Real and Personal Property per Capita (1898)

This choropleth map is included in the 1898 Statistical Atlas of the United States, compiled under the direction of Henry Gannett using 1890 Census data. It depicts the varying degrees of taxation on real and personal property per capita across the United States. The darker the shading, the higher the taxation per capita in that area. The South is the region with the lowest taxation overall, the Midwest and East coast have an average level of taxation, while the West is the area with the highest taxation. The Southern States were largely Democratic and opposed to taxation, leading to lower levels of taxation as illustrated on the map. States in the Midwest and East Coast were largely Republican, and advocated for taxes when needed, especially during Reconstruction to pay off the large debt the United States incurred during the Civil War. The West was a newly settled area, and had higher taxes in order to fund important and necessary infrastructure.