American homeowners around the country are feeling the squeeze of higher property taxes, with new data showing that the property tax burden rose last year.
Data from analytics firm ATTOM showed that the effective tax rate for single-family homes was 0.9% in 2025, up from 0.86% in 2024 and the highest level since 2020 when the national effective tax rate was 1.1%, according to a Realtor.com report.
It also found that while the estimated value for a single-family home was down 1.7% year over year in 2025, it was still one of the highest recorded readings for single-family home values because 2024’s values were higher than those that preceded it.
“Property taxes in 2025 demonstrate that tax bills reflect more than just home values,” said ATTOM CEO Rob Barber. “Even with a slight dip in prices, higher tax bills combined with declining home values led to an increase in effective tax rates, underscoring the role of local government costs and shifting tax policies.”
The effective tax rate for property taxes varies by state and the report found that the states with the highest effective tax rates for single-family homes tended to be located in the Northeast.
New Jersey led the way with an effective tax rate of 1.58% and a median home price of $544,450. It was followed by Vermont, which had a 1.4% effective tax rate, and Connecticut at 1.36%, both with median home prices at roughly $500,000.
New Hampshire’s effective tax rate was 1.29% based on a $587,450 median home price, while New York had a 1.23% effective tax rate along with a $672,000 median home price.
Several states with lower median home prices also made the rankings for the highest effective property tax rates. Ohio’s was 1.32%, while Iowa at 1.25%, Pennsylvania at 1.24%, and Nebraska at 1.24% rounded out the top 10 with median home prices ranging between $272,000 and $345,000.
States with the lowest effective tax rates tended to have notable differences in terms of the median home price for a given state.
Hawaii had the lowest effective tax rate at 0.33% with a median home value of $747,545, while other Western states had similarly low effective tax rates with higher home prices.
Idaho (0.39%), Wyoming (0.4%), Arizona (0.43%), Utah (0.48%) and Nevada (0.52%) were among the states with the lightest property tax burdens and had median home prices ranging between $444,000 and $575,000.
Two Southern states with lower relative property tax burdens included Alabama with a 0.43% effective tax rate and $333,675 median home price, while Tennessee (0.5%) with a $425,250 median.
Delaware’s 0.48% effective tax rate and its location in the Northeast made it a regional outlier among the ranks of the states with lower property tax burdens, with a median home price just shy of $500,000.
West Virginia also had a 0.48% effective tax rate with the lowest median home price of $249,750.
