Property taxes by city: 2026 rankings

We compiled the effective property tax rate — the actual share of a home's market value paid in tax each year — for 102 of the largest US cities, using county-level data. The gap is enormous: Newark (2.50%) taxes homes at more than 8× the rate of Honolulu (0.30%). The national average across these cities is 1.01%.

The 10 highest property tax cities

Effective rate on owner-occupied homes. Northeastern and Midwestern cities dominate the top of the list — older housing stock, heavy reliance on local property tax for schools, and high assessment ratios.

The 10 lowest property tax cities

Western and Sun Belt cities — plus Honolulu, the lowest in the nation — anchor the bottom. Low rates often pair with assessment caps (Arizona, Colorado) or high home values that spread the levy thin.

The rate doesn't tell you the bill

A low rate on an expensive home still produces a big check. Ranked by the actual dollar tax on each city's median home, the list looks completely different — California cities with "low" rates appear near the top because their median homes cost seven figures:

It's the same lesson behind California's property tax math: a modest rate on a costly home beats a high rate on a cheap one.

All 102 cities, ranked

Sort by any column, or filter to find your city. Click a city to open its calculator and estimate the tax on a specific home value.

Methodology

Effective rates are county-level averages for owner-occupied homes — annual property tax divided by market value — drawn from Census ACS, Tax Foundation, and county assessor data for 2023–2025, the most recent complete cycle. We use the primary assessing county for each city. The "tax on median home" column applies each city's rate to its median home value; individual school districts and special taxing zones shift the exact figure. Rates refresh annually.

Free to cite with attribution to TheHousingCalc. For state-level figures, see our property tax calculator and homestead exemptions by state.