Where the rate comes from
There is no statewide property tax rate to look up. Counties, cities, school districts and special districts each set their own levy, and states differ on how much of a home's market value is taxed at all. What can be compared across states is the effective rate: the tax people actually paid divided by what their homes are worth.
This calculator uses the Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2020-2024. For each state it divides the median real estate tax paid on owner-occupied homes by their median value — New Jersey's $9,590 on $454,400 is 2.11%, Hawaii's $2,239 on $839,100 is 0.27%. Your home value, less any exemption you enter, is multiplied by that rate.
The rank, 1 for the highest and 51 for the lowest, and the gap against the median state, Oklahoma at 0.80%, show where your state sits. On a $400,000 home, Texas at 1.49% costs $2,760 a year more than the median state; Hawaii at 0.27% costs $2,120 less.
Why your bill may differ
Your county can be far from the state figure. Within New York, owners in Brooklyn pay under 0.7% of their home's value while those around Rochester pay close to 2.8%, in the Census Bureau's county figures for 2019-2023. If you know your local rate — from a tax bill, a listing or the assessor's site — enter it; it always beats the state average.
Buying resets the clock. Several states cap how fast a long-time owner's assessment can rise — California at 2% a year, Florida homesteads at 3% or inflation — and a sale resets it to the price paid. A state average that includes decades-long owners can understate a new buyer's bill; in California a purchase is typically taxed at about 1.1-1.3% of the price, not 0.70%.
Exemptions are partly baked in already. The state average comes from taxes people actually paid, so it reflects the homestead and senior exemptions most owners claim. Subtract your exemption from the state average and you count it twice; the page warns you when that happens. Pair an exemption with your local rate instead.
Property tax in the monthly payment
Most mortgage lenders collect property tax monthly through escrow along with principal, interest and insurance, so the monthly figure here is what gets added to your payment. Lenders also count it in the 28% housing ratio, which is why a high-tax state lowers the price you can afford. The mortgage and home affordability calculators pick up this rate directly.
Property tax on your home is deductible on the federal return only if you itemize, and only within the state and local tax cap: $40,400 for 2026 under the 2025 reconciliation act, reduced for incomes above $505,000 but never below $10,000.
Highest and lowest effective rates
Ranked by effective rate — the median tax paid divided by the median home value for owner-occupied homes in the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey — these are the ten states at each end of the 51 in this calculator. A low rate on an expensive home can still mean a large bill, so read the median tax next to the rate.
| Rank | State | Effective rate | Median tax paid | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | 2.11% | $9,590 | $454,400 |
| 2 | Illinois | 2.01% | $5,298 | $263,300 |
| 3 | Connecticut | 1.81% | $6,643 | $366,900 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1.66% | $6,667 | $402,500 |
| 5 | Vermont | 1.59% | $5,039 | $316,600 |
| 6 | New York | 1.55% | $6,582 | $423,800 |
| 7 | Texas | 1.49% | $4,232 | $283,800 |
| 8 | Nebraska | 1.49% | $3,549 | $238,600 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 1.42% | $3,792 | $266,500 |
| 10 | Iowa | 1.39% | $2,897 | $208,000 |
| 42 | Utah | 0.52% | $2,525 | $489,400 |
| 43 | Tennessee | 0.5% | $1,442 | $286,700 |
| 44 | Delaware | 0.5% | $1,768 | $352,000 |
| 45 | Idaho | 0.49% | $2,038 | $418,600 |
| 46 | South Carolina | 0.48% | $1,251 | $259,000 |
| 47 | Colorado | 0.48% | $2,602 | $539,400 |
| 48 | Arizona | 0.48% | $1,879 | $394,500 |
| 49 | Nevada | 0.47% | $2,027 | $435,400 |
| 50 | Alabama | 0.38% | $788 | $209,900 |
| 51 | Hawaii | 0.27% | $2,239 | $839,100 |
Checking your own bill
An actual bill is the assessed value, less any exemptions, times the combined rate of every district that taxes the property — county, city, school district and special districts. A local assessor sets the value, and the bill lists each levy. Entering your own combined rate in this calculator gives a closer figure than any state average.
If you itemize, property tax on your home counts toward the state and local tax deduction, capped at $40,400 for 2026 together with state income or sales tax.