Property Tax Rates by State 2026: 50-State Comparison (From $738 to $9,541/Year)

Disclaimer: Tax figures reflect estimated 2026 projections based on IRS Publication 15-T. Tax law changes frequently. Verify with a CPA or the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator. Calcwyse.com is not a tax advisor.

The gap between the cheapest and most expensive property tax states is $8,803 a year — on the same $300,000 home. Hawaii bills average $738/year. New Jersey averages $9,541. Same country. Completely different cost of ownership.

The sticker rate misleads people constantly. A state can advertise a low mill levy while assessing homes at 100% of market value. Another state posts a higher nominal rate but caps assessment increases so aggressively that longtime owners pay almost nothing. The table below uses effective rates — actual taxes paid divided by market value — so every number is comparable. For more on this topic, see our guide: Sales Tax by State 2026: Rates, Rules & How to Save $1,200+ a Year.

All 50 States: Effective Rate and Median Annual Bill (2026)

Ranked lowest to highest by effective rate. Median bill estimated against each state’s median home value.

🟢 = effective rate below 0.60% · 🟡 = 0.60%–1.20% · 🔴 = above 1.20%

• 🟢 Hawaii — 0.27% · Median home $850,000 · **$738/yr**
• 🟢 Alabama — 0.37% · Median home $190,000 · **$703/yr**
• 🟢 Colorado — 0.49% · Median home $545,000 · **$2,670/yr**
• 🟢 Louisiana — 0.51% · Median home $210,000 · **$1,071/yr**
• 🟢 South Carolina — 0.52% · Median home $275,000 · **$1,430/yr**
• 🟢 Delaware — 0.53% · Median home $335,000 · **$1,776/yr**
• 🟢 West Virginia — 0.54% · Median home $150,000 · **$810/yr**
• 🟢 Wyoming — 0.55% · Median home $340,000 · **$1,870/yr**
• 🟢 Arkansas — 0.57% · Median home $175,000 · **$998/yr**
• 🟢 Nevada — 0.57% · Median home $420,000 · **$2,394/yr**
• 🟢 Arizona — 0.58% · Median home $415,000 · **$2,407/yr**
• 🟢 New Mexico — 0.58% · Median home $265,000 · **$1,537/yr**
• 🟡 Tennessee — 0.61% · Median home $310,000 · **$1,891/yr**
• 🟡 Idaho — 0.63% · Median home $390,000 · **$2,457/yr**
• 🟡 Utah — 0.63% · Median home $510,000 · **$3,213/yr**
• 🟡 California — 0.70% · Median home $750,000 · **$5,250/yr**
• 🟡 Mississippi — 0.72% · Median home $170,000 · **$1,224/yr**
• 🟡 Indiana — 0.73% · Median home $235,000 · **$1,716/yr**
• 🟡 Montana — 0.74% · Median home $400,000 · **$2,960/yr**
• 🟡 Kentucky — 0.75% · Median home $200,000 · **$1,500/yr**
• 🟡 North Carolina — 0.77% · Median home $305,000 · **$2,349/yr**
• 🟡 Virginia — 0.80% · Median home $380,000 · **$3,040/yr**
• 🟡 Georgia — 0.81% · Median home $315,000 · **$2,552/yr**
• 🟡 Florida — 0.83% · Median home $400,000 · **$3,320/yr**
• 🟡 Missouri — 0.88% · Median home $230,000 · **$2,024/yr**
• 🟡 North Dakota — 0.89% · Median home $250,000 · **$2,225/yr**
• 🟡 Oregon — 0.90% · Median home $440,000 · **$3,960/yr**
• 🟡 Oklahoma — 0.90% · Median home $195,000 · **$1,755/yr**
• 🟡 South Dakota — 0.94% · Median home $280,000 · **$2,632/yr**
• 🟡 Minnesota — 0.98% · Median home $335,000 · **$3,283/yr**
• 🟡 Maryland — 1.00% · Median home $415,000 · **$4,150/yr**
• 🟡 Washington — 1.01% · Median home $560,000 · **$5,656/yr**
• 🟡 Iowa — 1.04% · Median home $210,000 · **$2,184/yr**
• 🟡 Alaska — 1.04% · Median home $330,000 · **$3,432/yr**
• 🟡 Massachusetts — 1.04% · Median home $600,000 · **$6,240/yr**
• 🟡 Maine — 1.06% · Median home $340,000 · **$3,604/yr**
• 🟡 Kansas — 1.09% · Median home $215,000 · **$2,344/yr**
• 🟡 New Hampshire — 1.09% · Median home $430,000 · **$4,687/yr**
• 🟡 Michigan — 1.11% · Median home $230,000 · **$2,553/yr**
• 🟡 Pennsylvania — 1.15% · Median home $255,000 · **$2,933/yr**
• 🔴 Ohio — 1.41% · Median home $225,000 · **$3,173/yr**
• 🔴 Nebraska — 1.46% · Median home $240,000 · **$3,504/yr**
• 🔴 Rhode Island — 1.47% · Median home $420,000 · **$6,174/yr**
• 🔴 Vermont — 1.54% · Median home $365,000 · **$5,621/yr**
• 🔴 Texas — 1.60% · Median home $305,000 · **$4,880/yr**
• 🔴 Connecticut — 1.73% · Median home $380,000 · **$6,574/yr**
• 🔴 Wisconsin — 1.73% · Median home $280,000 · **$4,844/yr**
• 🔴 New York — 1.73% · Median home $420,000 · **$7,266/yr**
• 🔴 Illinois — 1.88% · Median home $270,000 · **$5,076/yr**
• 🔴 New Jersey — 2.47% · Median home $386,000 · **$9,541/yr**

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, state department of revenue data. Effective rates and median bills are estimates — your county and local levies will vary. For more on this topic, see our guide: No State Income Tax on $100k: What You Actually Keep in Florida.

The $300,000 Home Test: What You’d Actually Pay

Same home value, nine states. This is the clearest way to see how much the state you pick costs you.

📊 Estimated Annual Property Tax — $300,000 Home, Selected States (2026)

State	Effective rate	Annual tax	Monthly escrow
Hawaii	0.27%	$810	$68
Alabama	0.37%	$1,110	$93
South Carolina	0.52%	$1,560	$130
Tennessee	0.61%	$1,830	$153
North Carolina	0.77%	$2,310	$193
Florida	0.83%	$2,490	$208
Texas	1.60%	$4,800	$400
Illinois	1.88%	$5,640	$470
New Jersey	2.47%	$7,410	$618

Estimated · effective rates applied to $300,000 assessed value · local levies excluded

Quick math: Hawaii ($810/yr) vs. New Jersey ($7,410/yr) on the same $300,000 home — a $6,600 annual gap. That’s $550/month difference in escrow alone. Estimated · 2026 effective rates · county levies not included.

Texas vs. Florida is the one that catches people off guard. Florida’s effective rate is roughly half of Texas’s. On a $300,000 home, that’s $2,310 less per year in Florida. Both states have no income tax. Most buyers relocating between Sun Belt states don’t see that gap until their first mortgage statement.

What Drives Your Bill

Three things determine what you owe. Most people focus on just one.

Assessed value. Not market value — taxable value. California’s Prop 13 caps assessment increases at 2% per year. A neighbor who bought in 1995 might owe $1,800 on a home worth $900,000 today. You, buying that same home now, owe closer to $6,300. Same street. Same schools. Very different bill.

Mill levy. The rate is set by overlapping taxing districts — city, county, school district, special districts. New York’s statewide average is 1.73%, but Westchester County suburbs run above 2.5%. Upstate towns sit closer to 1.5%. The state average hides a lot.

Exemptions. Homestead exemptions, senior exemptions, veteran exemptions. Texas homeowners get $100,000 off their school district taxable value starting in 2023. South Carolina exempts the first $50,000 of assessed value for residents 65 and older. Most people earning a salary and buying their first home in a new state don’t know their county’s exemption deadlines until the window has already closed.

Zero. That’s how many exemptions the average first-time buyer claims in their first year of ownership. Filing late means paying full assessed value — sometimes for multiple years before the correction takes effect.

Quick Answers on Property Tax by State

Which state has the lowest property tax rate? Hawaii, at 0.27% effective. But median home values above $850,000 mean the dollar bill isn’t always the country’s smallest — Alabama ($703/year) often wins that distinction on absolute terms.

Which state has the highest property tax? New Jersey. Effective rate of 2.47%, median annual bill around $9,541. It’s been the national leader for over a decade and isn’t close to losing that position.

Do no-income-tax states always have high property taxes? No — but several do. Texas (1.60%), New Hampshire (1.09%), and Washington (1.01%) all rank above average. Nevada (0.57%) and Florida (0.83%) are the exceptions. The pattern holds roughly, not universally.

Your Numbers, Your State

Property tax varies by county, municipality, and special district — the state average is just a starting point. Run your specific address scenario with these tools:

• Property Tax Calculator
• Mortgage Calculator — see how your property tax estimate affects your monthly payment
• Rent vs. Buy Calculator — factor local property tax into the ownership cost side of the equation