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Where does California stand in property tax rankings?

April 8, 2015

houseCalifornia has the 17th lowest property taxes among all 50 U.S. states, according to a report compiled by consumer financial website WalletHub. [LA Times]

The average property tax paid by California real estate owners in 2015 is $1,431. Hawaii has the cheapest property taxes with an average of $431, while New Jersey has the most expensive at $3,971.

Alabama, Louisiana, Delaware and South Carolina round out the five states with the lowest property taxes. Illinois, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Texas had the highest rates behind New Jersey.

Wallet Hub calculated each state’s average by dividing the median property tax payment by the median home price.

The report found that property taxes were 39 percent higher on average in blue states than in red states. Wallet Hub based that designation on whether states voted Democratic or Republican in the 2012 presidential election.

Proposition 13, which voters passed in 1978, holds down California’s property taxes. Prop. 13 caps property taxes at 1 percent of the assessed value of a home at the time of purchase and prevents taxes from increasing more than 2 percent a year unless a sale or major renovation occurs.


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CA has the highest state income taxes, high sales tax rates (8% in SLO and elsewhere) and regulations and taxes other states don’t have. With the new school bonds that just passed, taxes went up again. For someone who buys a house at $500,000 (which is probably close to the average price around here these day), their taxes at 1% will be around $5000 a year, orover $400 a month.Prop. 13 keeps the tax rate fixed but remember, houses cost a lot more here.

Texas doesn’t have a state income tax and each county sets its own tax rates.


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To get that low, the “average” has got to be slewed DOWN by mobile home lot taxes, empty lot taxes, old style telephone booth taxes, one bedrooms outside Alturas, California. Get real. I get taxed $ 5,000+ for run-of-the-mill no big deal rental houses. EACH.


Add in scandalous state income tax rate, sales taxes, the HUGE cost of California regulations and out-of-control worker’s comp thumb injuries stretched out to 18 months, fees fees fees and you have the bigger picture. This article, while informative, wasn’t meant to cover the FULL picture.


Hum along with me “Yellow Rose of Texas”! A steep prop tax rate too, but none of the rest of it.


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We built a house for $183,000 in 1998, it is currently taxed @ around $2700/yr


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keep voting in the clowns like bordanaro and dont complain


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Bordanaro doesn’t set the rates–don’t you know that? His office collects the tax, and they have been pretty efficient at adjusting rates when property values go up and down.


Are you really that uninformed? You think that Bordanaro sets the property tax rates?


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I should have said “adjusting taxes”, not “adjusting rates”.


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Actually Bordpnars office assesses the property value and the Tax Collectors office bills you for the tax. Either way, the hanyack above you is clueless.


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The numbers don’t lie. The people who pick the number lie. Ask the person who bought the cheapest livable house in SLO this year what their taxes are, It won’t be 1400 bucks!


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This study is not very precise. If you divide median property tax by median home price, you get a fraction or a percentage, not a dollar value.

This is a tax rate. Because of the high price of California homes, the actual dollar amount for Californians would be much higher.


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I can assure you that my very modest little house, cost $300,00 many years ago is costing me $3700 annually. Does anyone on this site pay $1,431? They must include undeveloped property parcels. In order to pay $1,431 your house would have been purchased fot $120,000 over 20 years ago (120,000 x 1% = 1,200 x 2% annually).


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See Ed Waage’s comment following yours.


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