Special Report
States With the Highest and Lowest Property Taxes
February 27, 2020 4:40 pm
Last Updated: March 19, 2020 4:25 pm
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35. California
> Avg. property taxes paid: 0.74% of home value
> Per capita property taxes: $1,607 (20th highest)
> Median home value: $546,800 (2nd highest)
> Homeownership rate: 54.8% (2nd lowest)
> Median household income: $75,277 (6th highest)
The typical home in California is worth over half a million dollars. So even though state residents pay a relatively small share of their overall home value in property taxes, per capita property tax payments are higher in California than in most states.
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34. Idaho
> Avg. property taxes paid: 0.75% of home value
> Per capita property taxes: $1,018 (13th lowest)
> Median home value: $233,100 (21st highest)
> Homeownership rate: 70.7% (9th highest)
> Median household income: $55,583 (15th lowest)
The effective property tax rate in Idaho is 0.75%, below the 1.1% average across the United States. With lower than average property taxes, Idaho derives a larger than average share of its tax revenue from sources like sales and income tax.
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33. Montana
> Avg. property taxes paid: 0.76% of home value
> Per capita property taxes: $1,567 (22nd highest)
> Median home value: $249,200 (18th highest)
> Homeownership rate: 67.5% (18th highest)
> Median household income: $55,328 (13th lowest)
Montana is one of several Western states with a lower than average property tax rate. The state also does not levy a personal income tax. With fewer and smaller revenue streams than most states, Montana derives 46.1% of its general revenue from federal aid, the largest such share of any state.
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32. Kentucky
> Avg. property taxes paid: 0.82% of home value
> Per capita property taxes: $831 (5th lowest)
> Median home value: $148,100 (7th lowest)
> Homeownership rate: 67.4% (19th highest)
> Median household income: $50,247 (7th lowest)
Homeowners in Kentucky pay an average of 0.82% of their home value in property taxes every year, a lower than average effective property tax rate. The relatively low property tax rate, coupled with relatively low home values, translate to especially low property tax revenue per capita. Property taxes per capita in Kentucky are just $831 a year, less than in all but four other states.
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31. North Carolina
> Avg. property taxes paid: 0.85% of home value
> Per capita property taxes: $974 (10th lowest)
> Median home value: $180,600 (19th lowest)
> Homeownership rate: 65.1% (15th lowest)
> Median household income: $53,855 (11th lowest)
North Carolina’s effective property tax rate of 0.85% is lower than the 1.1% average rate across all states. Partially as a result, other taxes like sales and personal income contribute more than average to North Carolina’s overall tax revenue.
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