Rankings & guides
Property tax rankings
Explore comparisons covering 711 counties across 50 states, alongside relief guides and a homeownership budget worksheet. Coverage and source years vary; read each page’s method before using a comparison.
States by rate
States ranked by property tax rate
All 50 states in this almanac, ranked highest to lowest by average effective rate. The clearest top-line view of where property taxes hit hardest.
View ranking →Highest bills
Most expensive median annual bills
Counties ranked by the median annual property tax bill in actual dollars — not rate. A high-rate state with low home values can still rank below a low-rate state with expensive houses.
View ranking →Cheapest per metro
Lowest-tax suburb in each metro
For each major metro area we cover, which county actually has the lowest effective rate. The kind of in-metro comparison most people never run before they buy.
View ranking →Border bargains
Biggest tax gaps across state lines
Adjacent counties on either side of a state border, ranked by the size of the rate gap. The actual relocation calculus for anyone considering a move 30 minutes away.
View ranking →For retirees
Compare property tax relief for retirees
Understand exemptions, ceilings, transfers and deferrals before comparing homes. Includes selected official program examples.
View ranking →For veterans
Compare disabled veteran property tax relief
Check qualifying status, covered property and remaining charges using official examples and a property worksheet.
View ranking →No income tax
States with no income tax, by property tax
The 9 US states with no individual income tax, ranked by property tax burden. The hidden trade-off: removing income tax shifts the load somewhere — sometimes to property taxes, sometimes not.
View ranking →100 lowest counties
100 lowest property tax counties in America
The 100 US counties with the lowest effective property tax rates, drawn from all 50 states. Hawaii, Wyoming, and the rural South dominate the top of the list.
View ranking →50 largest counties
Property tax in the 50 largest US counties
The 50 most populous counties in our coverage, with stored home-value and tax benchmarks. Source years vary.
View ranking →College towns
Property tax in major college town counties
For faculty, alumni considering retirement near their alma mater, and parents buying near where their kids go to school. 25 of America's most-recognized university counties.
View ranking →Beach & coastal
Property tax in beach & coastal counties
For vacation-home buyers and beach-town retirees. 25 of America's most popular oceanfront counties — Florida, Carolinas, California coast, the Jersey Shore — ranked by effective rate.
View ranking →State capitals
Property tax in every state capital county
For state employees, political-class relocators, and capitol-area journalists. The seats of US government, ranked by effective rate. From Austin to Albany to Honolulu.
View ranking →Ownership budget
Compare the monthly cost of two homes
A worksheet using your mortgage, property tax, insurance, HOA, utilities and maintenance estimates. Includes a worked example.
View ranking →About these rankings
Every list on this page is generated from the same county database that powers the rest of the site. When we add a new state, every relevant ranking updates automatically on the next build — no manual maintenance, no stale numbers.
The numbers reflect the counties we cover, weighted equally. We tend to cover the largest counties in each state, which usually have higher rates than rural counties — so state-level numbers here will skew slightly higher than statewide averages from the IRS or Tax Foundation. Indiana is the exception (we cover all 92 of its counties).
For specific numbers on any one place, use the counties directory or the compare tool.