US Real Estate & Mortgage Research Analyst
Published: August 9, 2026 · Updated: August 9, 2026
Key Takeaways
- • The average U.S. state effective rate is about 0.90% of home value.
- • New Jersey and Illinois tie for the highest at 1.88%; Hawaii is lowest at 0.29%.
- • Rates are set locally, so two similar homes can owe very different amounts.
- • These are state-level effective rates — your county and school district set the actual bill.
Property taxes are the largest source of state and local tax revenue in the U.S. and the main way localities fund schools, roads, police, and fire services. Because they are levied locally, the rate you pay depends heavily on where you live. The table below ranks every state by its effective property tax rate — the average residential property tax paid expressed as a percentage of home value — using 2024 data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Effective Property Tax Rates by State (2024)
Click any state for a deeper look at its rate, how it compares to the national average, and a worked tax example.
| Rank | State | 2024 Rate | 2023 Rate | vs. U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | 1.88% | 1.98% | +0.98 pts |
| 2 | Illinois | 1.88% | 1.91% | +0.98 pts |
| 3 | Connecticut | 1.54% | 1.62% | +0.64 pts |
| 4 | Vermont | 1.51% | 1.58% | +0.61 pts |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 1.50% | 1.62% | +0.60 pts |
| 6 | Nebraska | 1.44% | 1.48% | +0.54 pts |
| 7 | Texas | 1.40% | 1.47% | +0.50 pts |
| 8 | Ohio | 1.36% | 1.41% | +0.46 pts |
| 9 | Iowa | 1.33% | 1.36% | +0.43 pts |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 1.32% | 1.39% | +0.42 pts |
| 11 | New York | 1.30% | 1.31% | +0.40 pts |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | 1.26% | 1.31% | +0.36 pts |
| 13 | Kansas | 1.21% | 1.22% | +0.31 pts |
| 14 | Michigan | 1.19% | 1.23% | +0.29 pts |
| 15 | Rhode Island | 1.12% | 1.19% | +0.22 pts |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 1.00% | 1.03% | +0.10 pts |
| 17 | Minnesota | 1.00% | 1.01% | +0.10 pts |
| 18 | South Dakota | 1.00% | 1.03% | +0.10 pts |
| 19 | Maine | 0.98% | 1.04% | +0.08 pts |
| 20 | Alaska | 0.94% | 0.95% | +0.04 pts |
| 21 | Maryland | 0.92% | 0.95% | +0.02 pts |
| 22 | North Dakota | 0.92% | 0.92% | +0.02 pts |
| 23 | Missouri | 0.89% | 0.91% | -0.01 pts |
| 24 | Oregon | 0.81% | 0.83% | -0.09 pts |
| 25 | Georgia | 0.79% | 0.82% | -0.11 pts |
| 26 | Oklahoma | 0.79% | 0.80% | -0.11 pts |
| 27 | Florida | 0.78% | 0.80% | -0.12 pts |
| 28 | Virginia | 0.78% | 0.79% | -0.12 pts |
| 29 | Indiana | 0.76% | 0.77% | -0.14 pts |
| 30 | Washington | 0.75% | 0.77% | -0.15 pts |
| 31 | Kentucky | 0.74% | 0.76% | -0.16 pts |
| 32 | California | 0.70% | 0.70% | -0.20 pts |
| 33 | North Carolina | 0.66% | 0.69% | -0.24 pts |
| 34 | New Mexico | 0.63% | 0.62% | -0.27 pts |
| 35 | Montana | 0.61% | 0.64% | -0.29 pts |
| 36 | Mississippi | 0.58% | 0.60% | -0.32 pts |
| 37 | Arkansas | 0.56% | 0.57% | -0.34 pts |
| 38 | Louisiana | 0.55% | 0.54% | -0.35 pts |
| 39 | Delaware | 0.54% | 0.55% | -0.36 pts |
| 40 | Wyoming | 0.53% | 0.52% | -0.37 pts |
| 41 | Tennessee | 0.52% | 0.56% | -0.38 pts |
| 42 | West Virginia | 0.51% | 0.51% | -0.39 pts |
| 43 | Nevada | 0.50% | 0.51% | -0.40 pts |
| 44 | Colorado | 0.50% | 0.50% | -0.40 pts |
| 45 | Idaho | 0.50% | 0.53% | -0.40 pts |
| 46 | South Carolina | 0.49% | 0.51% | -0.41 pts |
| 47 | Arizona | 0.48% | 0.51% | -0.42 pts |
| 48 | Utah | 0.48% | 0.50% | -0.42 pts |
| 49 | Alabama | 0.37% | 0.37% | -0.53 pts |
| 50 | Hawaii | 0.29% | 0.30% | -0.61 pts |
| — | District of Columbia | 0.60% | 0.60% | — |
How to Read These Numbers
An effective rate smooths out differences in home prices: it is total residential property taxes paid divided by total owner-occupied home value in a state. That makes states comparable even though nominal tax bills also rise with home prices. A state with expensive housing (like California) can have a modest effective rate yet still high dollar bills, while a lower-priced state with aggressive rates (like New Jersey) lands at the top.
Your actual bill depends on your county, city, and school district — and on local rules such as assessment ratios, exemptions for seniors or veterans, and caps on annual increases. Always confirm with your local assessor.
Sources
Tax Foundation — Property Taxes by State and County, 2026 — https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/property-taxes-by-state/
Effective rates on owner-occupied housing, U.S. Census Bureau 2024 American Community Survey (datasets B25082, B25090).
Retrieved: 2026-08-09.