Property Tax Rates by State: See Your State's Rate
Property tax is the single most overlooked piece of a mortgage payment estimate — and it varies more by location than almost any other cost of homeownership. Select your state below to see roughly what that means for your actual payment.
- Effective property tax rates range from about 0.28% (Hawaii) to over 2.2% (New Jersey) — nearly an 8x difference.
- The national average is roughly 1.0%, but that average is almost meaningless for any specific state.
- Rates vary further by county and city within every state — this tool shows state-level approximations only.
- Type a ZIP code, a city name, or a state name — city-name matching works for the ~35 metros listed below; anything else falls back to state average.
A real example: why "Texas average" undersells Frisco
Texas has no state income tax and leans harder on property tax than most states — but even within Texas, rates vary enormously. A generic Texas average sits around 1.60%. Frisco specifically — a high-growth Dallas suburb with a substantial school district tax rate and often an added MUD or PID assessment in newer neighborhoods — actually runs closer to 1.96%, meaningfully above the state figure. Type ZIP 75035 — or just type "Frisco" directly — into the tool above and you'll see the real Frisco rate, not the Texas average — a concrete illustration of exactly why local numbers matter more than state ones whenever they're available.
Why the same home price means wildly different payments
A $400,000 home in New Jersey carries an estimated property tax bill roughly 8 times higher than the same home in Hawaii — not because New Jersey homes are worth more, but because the tax rate itself is fundamentally different. This is added to your mortgage payment via escrow every single month, regardless of your rate or loan amount.
Why rates vary this much between states
How schools get paid for
States that rely heavily on property tax to fund public schools and local services tend to have the highest rates.
Revenue has to come from somewhere
States without an income tax, like Texas and New Hampshire, often lean harder on property tax instead.
Not just the rate
Some states assess homes at full market value; others assess at a fraction of it, changing the effective rate even at the same nominal rate.
Can lower your real bill
Most states offer exemptions for primary residences, seniors, or veterans — but you typically have to apply, they're rarely automatic.
How to actually verify your real rate
- Search "[your county] property tax assessor" — nearly every county publishes current rates and your specific parcel's assessed value online.
- Check for homestead or other exemptions you may qualify for — they're not applied automatically in most states.
- Ask your real estate agent or lender for the actual current tax bill on any specific home you're seriously considering — it's public record and they can pull it directly.
- Don't assume last year's bill predicts next year's — reassessments following a sale often reset the taxable value to the new purchase price, which can meaningfully change your actual bill from what the seller was paying.
How we verify this: figures on this page are computed from standard published formulas and checked against our own calculators. Assumptions are stated inline. Found an error? Let us know — see our editorial approach.