Find the money you can keep
United States: tax, business and moving facts
Every figure links to the official page it comes from, so you can check it yourself. Rules change, so confirm before you act. Last checked 8 October 2026.
Latest facts
- Who leads
- Donald Trump is President. In the US one person is both head of state and head of government.
- Official source
- What is the lowest legal wage?
- The federal minimum is $7.25 an hour, but many states and cities set a higher one.
- Official source
Grants, loans and funding
- SBA loans
Small businesses, including small microloans
- SBIR and STTR
Research and tech start-ups, real grants
- Grants.gov
Search federal grants by topic
Business types with room to grow
- The biggest consumer market in the world
- Online sellers shipping nationwide
- Health, tech and home services
Starting a business
- How easy it feels
- Easy to start, more paperwork after
- Taxmiser summary
Bank accounts
- Opening one as a newcomer
- Harder without a Social Security number
- Taxmiser summary
Personal tax
Moving there
- How hard it is
- Hard
- Taxmiser summary
Everyday life
- Cost of living
- Very mixed, high in big coastal cities
- Taxmiser summary
- Pay levels
- Highest of the five
- Taxmiser summary
Business fit and credit in United States
Works well: Tech and online businesses, Home services and trades, Health and wellness, E-commerce.
Why: Huge market, the most investor money and fast LLC set-up in most states.
Hard parts: Health insurance is costly for founders, Rules and fees differ by state, Visas for foreign founders are hard to get.
Will my credit score stop me? Little credit for newcomers; visas are tough.
Bad credit, funding and what to do if your business is brokeGood for you if
- You want the biggest market and the highest pay
- You want lots of investors and funding
- You live in a state with no income tax, like Texas or Florida
Watch out for
- US citizens pay US tax wherever they live
- Healthcare is expensive without good insurance
- Each state has its own rules and forms
"Taxmiser summary" rows are our plain-English opinion, not an official figure.
