Statistics · 2026 · Real Estate
Property Tax Statistics (2026)
The median U.S. metro has an effective property-tax rate of 0.84% of home value, based on 923 metros in the 2023 ACS 5-year (2019–2023) Census data. Rates run from 0.17% in Kahului, HI to 2.64% in Rochester, NY. On a median-priced home, that works out to a median bill of about $2,867 a year.
Key takeaways
- The median metro’s effective property-tax rate is 0.84%, and the population-weighted average is 1.10%.
- Across the U.S., the Census Bureau’s 2023 ACS 5-year data put medians of $2,969 in tax and $303,400 in home value, a 0.98% ratio by WealthyBud’s calculation.
- Among metros with at least 100,000 residents, 25 have a rate of 2% or higher, led by Rochester, NY at 2.64%.
- The median-priced home in a typical metro carries about $2,867 a year in tax, and 145 metros top $5,000.
- By state, NJ (2.32%), IL and CT have the highest weighted metro rates, while HI (0.27%) has the lowest.
What is the average property tax rate in the U.S.?
The median U.S. metro has an effective property-tax rate of 0.84% of home value, and the average weighted by population is 1.10%, using 2023 ACS 5-year (2019–2023) Census data for 923 metros. Nationally, the Census Bureau reports medians of $2,969 in taxes and $303,400 in home value, which WealthyBud calculates as a 0.98% rate.
1. Median metro rate: 0.84%
Half of the 923 metros with data pay less than 0.84% of home value each year. The simple average is 0.98%, pulled up by high-tax metros (WealthyBud data · 923 metros · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026). The rate is the Census Bureau’s median real estate taxes paid divided by its median home value for owner-occupied homes in each metro.
2. Population-weighted rate: 1.10%
Weighting each metro by its population raises the average from 0.98% to 1.10%, so the metros that hold the most residents lean toward higher rates (WealthyBud data · 923 metros · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026).
3. Census national benchmark: $2,969 on a $303,400 home
The Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year 2023 estimates show a U.S. median of $2,969 in real estate taxes paid and a median home value of $303,400, which gives 0.98% using the same method as the metro rates above.
4. Property taxes raised $212.3 billion in Q2 2026
The Census Bureau’s Quarterly Summary of State and Local Tax Revenue reports seasonally adjusted state and local property-tax revenue of $212,289 million in the second quarter of 2026, up 4.0% from the second quarter of 2025. Seasonally adjusted, the first half of 2026 totaled $422.8 billion, up from $407.7 billion a year earlier. Second-quarter figures are preliminary and the Census Bureau revises them later.
5. Property tax is 36.7% of the four major tax categories
Dividing the seasonally adjusted Q2 2026 property-tax figure ($212,289 million) by the Census Bureau’s $578,677 million total gives 36.7%. That total covers only the survey’s four major categories: property, individual income, corporate income and sales taxes. The 30.0% figure in statistic 16 is a 2021 share of all state and local tax revenue, so the two shares are not comparable. The division is WealthyBud’s.
Which metros have the highest property taxes?
Rochester, NY has the highest effective property-tax rate at 2.64%, followed by Binghamton, NY at 2.59% and Syracuse, NY at 2.56%. All ten leading metros sit in New York, New Jersey or Illinois, and 6 of them are in New York. The ranking covers 396 metros with 100,000 or more residents.
6. Rochester, NY leads at 2.64%
That rate is 15.5 times the rate in Kahului, HI and about 3.1 times the national metro median (WealthyBud data · 396 metros of 100,000 or more people · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026).
7. 6 of the 10 highest-rate metros are in New York
The top ten holds 6 New York metros, 2 in New Jersey and 2 in Illinois. All ten are in the Northeast or the Midwest (WealthyBud data · 396 metros of 100,000 or more people · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026).
8. 25 metros have a rate of 2% or higher
That is 6.3% of the 396 metros with at least 100,000 residents. (WealthyBud data · 396 metros of 100,000 or more people · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026).
| Metro | Effective rate | Median list price | Estimated tax on a median-priced listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Rochester, NY | 2.64% | $298,350 | $7,876 |
| 2. Binghamton, NY | 2.59% | $219,500 | $5,685 |
| 3. Syracuse, NY | 2.56% | $304,894 | $7,805 |
| 4. Trenton, NJ | 2.51% | $449,900 | $11,292 |
| 5. Vineland, NJ | 2.46% | $299,950 | $7,379 |
| 6. Rockford, IL | 2.43% | $268,500 | $6,525 |
| 7. Jamestown, NY | 2.39% | $237,750 | $5,682 |
| 8. Ithaca, NY | 2.35% | $399,225 | $9,382 |
| 9. Massena, NY | 2.28% | $196,900 | $4,489 |
| 10. Bloomington, IL | 2.27% | $289,500 | $6,572 |
Which metros have the lowest property taxes?
Kahului, HI has the lowest effective property-tax rate at 0.17%, followed by Honolulu, HI at 0.28% and Hilo, HI at 0.29%. Hawaii and Alabama dominate the bottom ten, and 38 of the 396 metros with 100,000 or more residents pay less than 0.50% of home value.
9. Kahului, HI has the lowest rate: 0.17%
Hawaii places 3 metros in the bottom ten and Alabama places 5. Low rates do not always mean low bills: Honolulu’s median list price is $675,000. The highest rate is 15.5 times the lowest (WealthyBud data · 396 metros of 100,000 or more people · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026).
- Kahului, HI has an effective rate of 0.17%, or about $1,692 a year on a median-priced listing.
- Honolulu, HI has an effective rate of 0.28%, or about $1,890 a year on a median-priced listing.
- Hilo, HI has an effective rate of 0.29%, or about $1,737 a year on a median-priced listing.
- Daphne, AL has an effective rate of 0.31%, or about $1,547 a year on a median-priced listing.
- Dothan, AL has an effective rate of 0.31%, or about $866 a year on a median-priced listing.
Run a rental deal with each metro's tax rate prefilled
How much property tax does a median-priced home pay?
A median-priced home in the typical metro owes about $2,867 a year in property tax. WealthyBud estimates this by multiplying each metro’s effective rate by its current median list price, so it can overstate bills where listings cost more than owners say their homes are worth. Bills top $5,000 in 145 of 923 metros and exceed $10,000 in 16.
10. Median annual bill: $2,867
Across 923 metros with both a tax rate and a list price, the middle metro’s bill is $2,867. Among the 396 metros of 100,000 or more people it is $3,451 (WealthyBud data · 923 metros · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026). This is a WealthyBud estimate with a built-in mismatch: the rate comes from 2019–2023 owner-reported taxes divided by owner-estimated home values, while the price is a September 2026 list price. Where list prices exceed owner values, the estimate runs high. In Rochester, NY, the Census medians are $5,024 in tax on a $190,100 home, against $7,876 on the $298,350 list price used here.
11. Highest bill: $13,037 in Stamford, CT
Stamford, CT combines a 1.68% rate with a $776,000 median list price. The lowest bill among large metros is about $866 in Dothan, AL (WealthyBud data · 396 metros of 100,000 or more people · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026). Compare these bills with local pay in housing affordability statistics.
| Metro | Effective rate | Median list price | Estimated tax on a median-priced listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stamford, CT | 1.68% | $776,000 | $13,037 |
| New York, NY | 1.69% | $742,000 | $12,540 |
| Kiryas Joel, NY | 2.15% | $567,000 | $12,190 |
| Kingston, NY | 1.94% | $625,500 | $12,135 |
| Santa Barbara, CA | 0.66% | $1,720,750 | $11,357 |
Which states have the highest and lowest property taxes?
NJ has the highest metro-level property-tax rate at 2.32%, followed by IL at 2.09%. HI has the lowest at 0.27%. These figures weight each metro by population and cover metro areas, not whole states, so rural counties can differ from the state picture.
12. Highest-rate states: NJ (2.32%), IL (2.09%), CT (1.92%), NH (1.86%), NY (1.82%)
Each figure is the population-weighted mean of the state’s metros with 100,000 or more residents, for the 42 states with at least three such metros. A metro that crosses a state line counts once, under the state of its principal city. NJ’s rate rests on 3 metros (WealthyBud data · 383 metros · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026).
13. Lowest-rate states: HI (0.27%), AL (0.41%), CO (0.49%), SC (0.50%), UT (0.53%), AZ (0.53%)
UT and AZ tie at 0.53%. See also housing market by state.
| Position | State | Weighted metro rate | Metros counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest 1 | NJ | 2.32% | 3 |
| Highest 2 | IL | 2.09% | 9 |
| Highest 3 | CT | 1.92% | 6 |
| Highest 4 | NH | 1.86% | 3 |
| Highest 5 | NY | 1.82% | 14 |
| Lowest 1 | HI | 0.27% | 3 |
| Lowest 2 | AL | 0.41% | 12 |
| Lowest 3 | CO | 0.49% | 7 |
| Lowest 4 | SC | 0.50% | 8 |
| Lowest 5= | UT | 0.53% | 5 |
| Lowest 5= | AZ | 0.53% | 8 |
Do property taxes change rental returns?
Yes. Property tax takes a median 20% of a year’s two-bedroom Fair Market Rent on a median-priced home, so it cuts net income in every market. Gross yield is higher in high-tax metros (4.94% against 4.07%), and the high-tax group also has lower median list prices.
14. Tax equals 20% of a year of two-bedroom rent
For the median metro, the estimated annual tax is 20.2% of 12 months of HUD two-bedroom Fair Market Rent (WealthyBud data · 387 metros · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026).
15. Top-tax quartile: 4.94% median gross yield; bottom quartile: 4.07%
The 96 metros with the highest tax rates (1.39% or more) have a median gross yield of 4.94% and a median list price of $328,650. The 96 with the lowest rates (0.65% or less) have 4.07% and $381,225. Gross yield is annual two-bedroom Fair Market Rent divided by list price, before any tax. Subtracting each group’s median tax rate leaves about 3.29% for the high-tax quartile and 3.56% for the low-tax quartile, so tax erases the high-tax group’s edge (WealthyBud data · 387 metros · 2023 ACS 5-year · September 2026).
16. Property tax was 30.0% of state and local tax revenue in 2021
The Census Bureau’s Annual State and Local Government Finances Summary reports that property taxes brought in $630.2 billion, or 30.0 percent of state and local government tax revenue, in 2021. That base covers every tax category and a different year.
What this means for buyers and investors
For buyers, compare the tax bill, not just the price. A $400,000 home at 2.0% owes $8,000 a year; at 0.5% it owes $2,000. See how this fits your budget with rent vs. buy statistics.
For investors, use the local rate in every projection. Rates here are metro medians, so confirm the parcel’s levy with the county. Metros in the highest-tax quartile, such as Rochester, NY, show higher gross yields, but tax takes back part of that income.
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