Rising U.S. housing prices and rising mortgage rates aren’t the only challenges to homeownership these days. Between 2022 and 2023, property taxes jumped as much as 31% in some areas of the country, according to recent data.
Homeowners saw their property taxes increase by an average of 4.1% over that period, according to an analysis of more than 89 million single-family homes by ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data provider. This translates to a typical tax bill last year of $4,062, compared to $3,901 in 2022.
ATTOM CEO Rob Barber attributed the tax increases in part to inflation, which has driven up the costs of operating local governments and schools, including the salaries of public sector employees.
In the United States, property taxes increased more than the national average in 118 major cities, according to figures from ATTOM. The highest annual year-over-year increases were in Charlotte, North Carolina, at 31.5%; Indianapolis (19%); Kansas City (17%); Denver (16%); and Atlanta (15%).
ATTOM also found that residents of 21 counties with at least 10,000 single-family homes pay more than $10,000 a year in property taxes. At the top of this list are:
- Essex County, New Jersey ($13,145)
- Bergen County, New Jersey ($13,112)
- Nassau County, New York ($13,059)
- San Mateo County, New York ($13,001)
- Santa Clara County, New York ($12,462)
In total, local governments collected more than $363 billion in property taxes.
Granted, annual property taxes can vary by tens of thousands of dollars depending on where you live. This is because these taxes are based on local government services and schools available in a given community. Property values, which are determined by a local assessor, also affect the tab.
But even a 1% increase in property taxes can add hundreds of dollars to a homeowner’s monthly payment.
Here are the top five states where the typical homeowner paid the most in property taxes in 2022, according to ATTOM:
- New Jersey ($9,488)
- Connecticut ($8,022)
- New York ($7,936)
- Massachusetts ($7,414)
- New Hampshire ($7,172)
Americans paid the lowest average property taxes in these five states:
- West Virginia ($989)
- Alabama ($1,104)
- Arkansas ($1,296)
- Mississippi ($1,367)
- Louisiana ($1,418)
Christopher J. Brooks
Grub5
