Property taxes are rising across much of America, but where you live makes all the difference.
The median U.S. property tax bill in 2024 rose to $3,500, up 2.8% from the previous year, largely driven by surging home values and shifting local tax rates.
However, some homeowners are paying a significantly different amount due to the states they live in, according to Realtor.com.
“Tax growth varies widely state to state, including some states where tax burdens are outpacing home price growth and others where property taxes are falling even as homes appreciate in value,” Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com, said in a statement.
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West Virginia homeowners pay a median of just $728 per year, the lowest in the nation. Meanwhile, New Jersey residents face the highest median property tax bill, averaging $9,413 annually, according to Realtor.com.
The states with the lowest property taxes include:
West Virginia — $728
Alabama — $804
Arkansas — $871
Mississippi — $1,034
South Carolina — $1,328
Tennessee — $1,333
Louisiana — $1,415
Oklahoma —$1,481
Kentucky — $1,551
Michigan — $1,670
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Property taxes generally loosely mirror the market value of a home, according to Berner.
States with the greatest property tax burdens are typically located in the Northeast, where household incomes and home prices are higher. By contrast, the states with the lowest property tax bills all have median home prices below the national median of $425,000 for September 2025, according to Realtor.com.
Although low property taxes can ease the financial burden for homeowners, they often mean fewer local services, according to Realtor.com.
“Property taxes support important municipal services, police, firefighters, schools, courts, libraries, parks and recreation, emergency response, the pound, roads, and maybe many more services people might not realize are funded, like senior services, municipal airports, public health, possibly water, sewer, and trash collection,” Bruce Ailion, an agent with Re/Max Town and County in Atlanta, told Realtor.com.
As property taxes climb, lawmakers in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas are exploring ways to reduce the burden on homeowners.
Montana has already implemented property tax relief measures, FOX 10 reported.
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