March 09, 2016
New Jersey homeowners pay the highest property taxes in the United States, nearly 47 percent higher than the national average, according to a new ranking.
The Garden State has average real-estate taxes of $4,029, four times higher than Delaware ($929), the fourth-lowest in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, based on annual taxes on a $176,000 home, the median home value in the United States.
The average American household spends $2,127 on property taxes each year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, says a report released Wednesday by WalletHub, a personal finance website.
Pennsylvania homeowners pay average real-estate taxes of $2,647, about 20 percent higher than the national average.
The lowest average property taxes are paid by homeowners in Hawaii, about $489 annually.
In reality, most residents of New Jersey and Delaware pay more in real-estate taxes because their median home prices are higher than the U.S. median home value. In New Jersey, the state median home value is $319,900, meaning annual taxes of $7,335. In Delaware, the state median home value is $232,900, which equates to an annual property tax bill of $1,231.
In Pennsylvania, the state median home value – $164,900 – is below the national average, translating into annual taxes of $2,484.
The following chart shows national rankings, from least real-estate taxes paid on average to most:
| State | Effective R.E. Tax Rate | Annual Taxes/$176K home* | State Median Home Value | Annual Taxes/ SMHV |
| Hawaii | 0.28% | $489 | $504,500 | $1,405 |
| Alabama | 0.43% | $764 | $123,800 | $538 |
| Louisiana | 0.48% | $841 | $140,400 | $672 |
| Delaware | 0.53% | $929 | $232,900 | $1,231 |
| District of Columbia | 0.57% | $1,005 | $454,500 | $2,601 |
| South Carolina | 0.57% | $1,009 | $137,600 | $790 |
| West Virginia | 0.59% | $1,035 | $100,200 | $590 |
| Arkansas | 0.62% | $1,088 | $108,700 | $673 |
| Colorado | 0.62% | $1,097 | $239,400 | $1,495 |
| Wyoming | 0.62% | $1,094 | $189,300 | $1,179 |
| Utah | 0.69% | $1,210 | $212,500 | $1,463 |
| New Mexico | 0.72% | $1,273 | $159,300 | $1,154 |
| Tennessee | 0.75% | $1,314 | $139,900 | $1,046 |
| Idaho | 0.77% | $1,354 | $160,500 | $1,237 |
| Mississippi | 0.78% | $1,377 | $100,800 | $790 |
| Virginia | 0.80% | $1,401 | $243,500 | $1,941 |
| California | 0.81% | $1,429 | $371,400 | $3,021 |
| Kentucky | 0.84% | $1,471 | $121,600 | $1,018 |
| Arizona | 0.84% | $1,484 | $162,900 | $1,376 |
| North Carolina | 0.85% | $1,502 | $153,600 | $1,313 |
| Oklahoma | 0.87% | $1,525 | $115,000 | $998 |
| Montana | 0.87% | $1,528 | $187,600 | $1,632 |
| Indiana | 0.88% | $1,539 | $122,700 | $1,075 |
| Nevada | 0.92% | $1,618 | $167,100 | $1,539 |
| Georgia | 0.96% | $1,682 | $148,000 | $1,417 |
| Missouri | 1.00% | $1,763 | $136,700 | $1,372 |
| Oregon | 1.08% | $1,890 | $234,100 | $2,518 |
| Washington | 1.08% | $1,903 | $257,200 | $2,785 |
| Maryland | 1.08% | $1,906 | $287,500 | $3,118 |
| Florida | 1.10% | $1,932 | $156,200 | $1,718 |
| Massachusetts | 1.18% | $2,075 | $329,900 | $3,896 |
| Minnesota | 1.19% | $2,091 | $185,200 | $2,204 |
| Alaska | 1.21% | $2,124 | $246,300 | $2,978 |
| North Dakota | 1.22% | $2,146 | $142,000 | $1,734 |
| Maine | 1.27% | $2,233 | $173,600 | $2,206 |
| South Dakota | 1.36% | $2,382 | $135,700 | $1,840 |
| Kansas | 1.41% | $2,478 | $129,400 | $1,825 |
| Iowa | 1.47% | $2,582 | $126,300 | $1,856 |
| Pennsylvania | 1.51% | $2,647 | $164,900 | $2,484 |
| Ohio | 1.55% | $2,729 | $129,600 | $2,013 |
| New York | 1.58% | $2,773 | $283,700 | $4,478 |
| Rhode Island | 1.61% | $2,829 | $241,200 | $3,883 |
| Vermont | 1.72% | $3,021 | $216,200 | $3,717 |
| Michigan | 1.83% | $3,220 | $120,200 | $2,203 |
| Nebraska | 1.88% | $3,301 | $130,100 | $2,444 |
| Connecticut | 1.91% | $3,357 | $274,500 | $5,244 |
| Texas | 1.93% | $3,392 | $131,400 | $2,537 |
| Wisconsin | 1.97% | $3,459 | $165,900 | $3,266 |
| New Hampshire | 2.10% | $3,698 | $237,400 | $4,996 |
| Illinois | 2.25% | $3,959 | $175,700 | $3,959 |
| New Jersey | 2.29% | $4,029 | $319,900 | $7,335 |
*$175,700 is the median home value in the United States / Source: WalletHub
