Homeowners in These 15 Counties Pay the Lowest Property Taxes in the U.S.
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Taxes Property Tax Share Share Close Mail Page URL https://money.com/lowest-property-taxes-by-county-2026/ Link copied! Homeowners in These 15 Counties Pay the Lowest Property Taxes in the U.S. By: Pete Grieve Pete Grieve Lead News Reporter | Joined September 2022 Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. In his time at Money, Pete has covered everything from car buying to credit cards to the housing market. Has also written: New USPS Fuel Surcharge Will Make Mailing Packages More Expensive Through 2027 Lawmakers Scramble to Suspend Gas Taxes as Prices Near $4 a Gallon More Americans Than Ever Are Relying on Personal Loans. Here's What You Need to Know Residents in These States Could See Tax Refund Delays. Here's Why I Plan to Claim Social Security at Full Retirement Age Just to Invest the Money.
Is This Genius? See full bio Editor: Julia Glum Julia Glum Managing Editor | Joined February 2018 A graduate of the University of Florida, Julia has more than six years of experience in personal finance journalism. In addition to overseeing news and newsletters, she leads Money’s tax coverage, which includes extensive reporting on tax credits, policy changes and the IRS. Has also written: When Social Security Recipients Will Get Their Checks in April When Are State Taxes Due? Here Are the 2026 Deadlines How to File Your Taxes for Free With TurboTax This Year How to File Taxes for Free This Year From New Deductions to Bigger Refunds, Here Are 8 Major Tax Changes in 2026 See full bio Published: Apr 1, 2026 7:18 a.m. EDT 4 min read Money; Getty Images Looking at property taxes in the U.S. reveals a stark divide. In more than a dozen counties with the nation's highest property taxes, the typical homeowner pays over $10,000 per year. In 15 counties at the other end of the spectrum, the median annual bill is less than $300. Property taxes are a growing strain on household budgets, but these bills are not high everywhere. The cheapest property taxes are generally found in counties with low effective tax rates and lower home values. Property taxes are primarily charged at the local level, where they fund schools, police departments and other agencies. They make up about 29% of local and state tax collections, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax policy nonprofit that recently updated its analysis of property taxes by state and county. Ads by Money. We may be compensated if you click this ad.AdThe right Tax Relief firm makes all the difference, especially if you owe over $10,000 in taxes.Get the tailored experience that you expect from the tax litigation professionals in your area. Click on your state to get started!HawaiiAlaskaFloridaSouth CarolinaGeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaTennesseeRIRhode IslandCTConnecticutMAMassachusettsMaineNHNew HampshireVTVermontNew YorkNJNew JerseyDEDelawareMDMarylandWest VirginiaOhioMichiganArizonaNevadaUtahColoradoNew MexicoSouth DakotaIowaIndianaIllinoisMinnesotaWisconsinMissouriLouisianaVirginiaDCWashington DCIdahoCaliforniaNorth DakotaWashingtonOregonMontanaWyomingNebraskaKansasOklahomaPennsylvaniaKentuckyMississippiArkansasTexasGet Started Nationwide, the average amount paid in property taxes was about $1,900 in 2023, according to the Tax Foundation. That figure may be even higher now, as rising home values continue to push up property taxes when homes are assessed, prompting lawmakers in several states to consider cuts. Some states rely on high property taxes "in lieu of other major tax categories," according to the Tax Foundation report, while others have relatively high taxes across the board. Effective property tax rates ranged from 0.29% in Hawaii to 1.88% in New Jersey as of 2024. Why some counties have ultra-low property taxes Having an annual property tax bill of just a few hundred dollars (rather than a few thousand) can give homeowners flexibility in their budgets. But property taxes are just one of many homeownership costs. It's also important to understand what property taxes typically fund — and the tradeoffs that can come with low property taxes, such as higher income or sales taxes and potentially schools and local services with fewer resources. "While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, property taxes are largely rooted in the benefit principle of taxation: The people paying the property tax bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services (e.g., K-12 education, local surface roads, police and fire service, and parks)," the Tax Foundation wrote in its report. However, this isn't always true. Counties and states with higher property taxes may struggle with government waste or municipal debt. In those cases homeowners may pay more to the government with little to show for it. U.S. counties with the lowest property taxes The counties with the lowest property taxes tend to have a few things in common: They are generally in rural areas in low-property-tax states with affordable homes. In fact, the 15 counties with the lowest property taxes are all in just four states: Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana and South Dakota. According to the Tax Foundation, the following areas had property tax bills below $300 in 2024: Aleutians East Borough, Alaska Bethel Census Area, Alaska Copper River Census Area, Alaska Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska West Carroll Parish, Louisiana Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota Choctaw County, Alabama Tensas Parish, Louisiana Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana Allen Parish, Louisiana Lamar County, Alabama East Carroll Parish, Louisiana Perry County, Alabama Bibb County, Alabama Ads by Money. We may be compensated if you click this ad.AdRated A+ by the BBBGet StartedTax solutions for consumers with over $15,000 in owed taxes. 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