This is really interesting to me. I wonder if the higher numbers are a result of lots of mustachians having high dual incomes still in the saving phase?
I'm sure that's part of it. The board has plenty of families with low incomes and a lot of kids, but the demographic here seems to be more skewed towards DINK's in the accumulation phase.
Right now the poll shows about half (39 of 82) votes in the > 20% range, including state taxes. That's likely higher than national average, but still leaves most people in the 15-25% tax brackets or below which isn't too bad.
I think it's worth noting the question doesn't take into account deductions, exemptions, and tax credits at all since we are comparing AGI to total federal tax (not meant to be a complaint, just an observation). This means people who rent in NYC, SF, and other high cost areas are likely paying a higher average rate than homeowners with kids like me ($18K itemized, $15.6K exemptions, $1,500 tax credits) based on how the question is worded.
I noted one particular NYer above who's AGI was lower than my family, but they paid a higher average tax rate. I'm sure some of that has to do with high NY state and city taxes, but it's also partly explainable by a standard deduction and only 2 exemptions. Deductions and credits are just as much a part of tax planning as IRA's for some people and others don't (or can't) take advantage of these.