If you’re thinking about moving to a new state, you probably want to check out a few details first: what the housing market’s like, how many jobs are available and, of course, how much you’ll pay in property taxes. In 2018, the average American homeowner paid about $2,197 in property taxes, but in some states, that amount is much larger. Some states charge more in property taxes but less in other areas, like income taxes. But for others, property taxes can be a major burden. Here are the 10 states that charge the most, according to Tax-Rates.org:
New Jersey
Without a doubt, New Jersey tops the list of the states with the highest property taxes. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the highest-tax states in many other categories too, making it an expensive place to live. Compared to the state with the lowest rates, Louisiana, New Jersey residents pay 1.71 percent more in property taxes each year.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire isn’t far behind New Jersey, but despite that, the state has a reputation for being one of the states that collects the lowest amount of taxes. That’s because there’s no sales tax or income tax.
Texas
Texas is another state that ranks high in property taxes, but it’s still a fairly low-tax state and an affordable place to live. Texas residents pay no income taxes, and they have a booming economy and housing market.
Nebraska
If you’re a Nebraska resident, you can expect to enjoy a decent economy with low unemployment, a favorable housing market and a low cost of living. Unfortunately, you’ll also pay the fourth-highest property taxes in the nation.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin and Nebraska are actually tied for the fourth-largest property tax burden in the United States. Luckily, politicians in the state are aware of how the rate is driving residents away into nearby states with lower property taxes, like Minnesota, and they’re currently working on ways to lower them.
Illinois
It may not come as a surprise to Illinois residents, but the state has one of the highest property taxes and one of the highest tax burdens in general in the nation. It even ranks higher than New Jersey when you combine the property tax rates with income and sales taxes.
Connecticut
But Connecticut beats both Illinois and New Jersey with a generally high tax burden. It has high property taxes, a high individual tax rate and residents must pay a lot in sales and excise taxes. Perhaps the state is just attempting to copy its next-door neighbor, New York, which has the highest tax burden of any state.
Michigan
If you’re thinking of moving to Michigan, you may want to do a little research. While the state does have high property taxes, politicians are limited on how much more they can increase that rate each year. When it comes to overall burden, Michigan falls somewhere in the middle of the 50 states.
Vermont
Like some of its other New England and East Coast neighbors, Vermont has high property taxes and a high overall tax burden. That means you’ll pay more in income taxes and sales taxes here than you will in most other states in the nation.
North Dakota
Like Michigan, the tax burden for North Dakota residents falls somewhere in the middle of the road. That said, it does have the tenth-largest property tax rate in the United States, but it’s rates are nearly half a percent less than New Jersey’s.
