Estimate annual property tax for any US state using average effective tax rates.
Each state (and often each county within it) sets property tax differently, but a useful shortcut is the average effective rate — total property tax collected divided by total home value, for a typical home in that state. Multiply your home’s value by your state’s average effective rate for a reasonable estimate.
Illustrative estimate only, using simplified/rounded 2026 state-level figures — not tax advice. Rates change, and many states add local/county taxes on top. Always confirm with your state's tax authority.
Unlike federal income tax, there is no national property tax system — it is set locally, usually by counties, cities, and school districts, based on an assessed value of the property multiplied by a local mill rate. That is why effective property tax rates swing from under 0.3% of home value a year in states like Hawaii to well over 2% in states like New Jersey and Illinois: local government funding models, especially for schools, differ enormously across the country.
Two identical homes can carry very different tax bills depending on how recently the property was reassessed, whether the state caps annual assessment increases (as California does under Proposition 13), and whether local homestead exemptions reduce the taxable value for a primary residence. Because reassessment cycles and exemption rules are set locally, always confirm figures with the specific county assessor's office rather than relying on statewide averages alone.
It is based on assessed value, which local assessors are supposed to update to reflect market value on a set cycle (annually in some places, every few years in others). Assessed value can lag well behind actual market value, especially in states with caps on annual increases.
A reduction in taxable assessed value offered to owner-occupied primary residences in many states, lowering the tax bill relative to a second home or rental property of the same market value. Eligibility and the size of the exemption vary by state and sometimes by county.
Not directly — the property owner is billed. In practice, property tax is one of many costs landlords factor into rent, so renters bear some of it indirectly through rent levels, but there is no separate property tax bill issued to a tenant.
Usually a routine reassessment (often tied to rising local home values), a change in the local mill rate set by the school district or municipality, or the loss of a previously applied exemption.