Research Areas
Property Taxes
The property tax is a tax on the market value of privately owned property, including land, cars, business inventory, etc. Although the property tax is the principal source of revenue for localities, broad consensus has not been reached on the basic issue of whether property taxes are regressive, proportional or progressive. Property tax liability is calculated by multiplying the nominal property tax rate by the assessment ratio (the percentage of the value of the property that is taxed) by the value of the property. In 2004, state and local governments across the United States collected an estimated $318 billion in property taxes. Approximately 97 percent of this total, $308 billion, was collected by local government units including counties, cities, and school districts.
Additional questions about property taxes? Call (202) 464-6200.
Articles from the Tax Foundation
- New Jersey and New York Counties Rank Highest in Property Tax, Louisiana Parishes Lowest, by Gerald Prante, October 28, 2009
- New Census Data: From 2006 to 2008, NY, NJ Counties Rank Highest in Property Taxes on Homeowners, October 28, 2009
- Property Tax on Owner-Occupied Housing, by County, Ranked by Property Taxes Paid, 2006-2008 (3-Year Average), , October 28, 2009
- Property Tax on Owner-Occupied Housing, by County, Ranked by Property Taxes as a Percentage of Home Value, 2006-2008 (3-Year Average), October 28, 2009
- New Report Compares State and Local Government Tax Revenue Sources, October 9, 2009
- Where Do State and Local Governments Get Their Tax Revenue?, by Gerald Prante, October 9, 2009
- State and Local Property Tax Collections Per Capita by State, Fiscal Year 2007, October 4, 2009
- State Property Tax Collections Per Capita, Fiscal Year 2007 , October 4, 2009
- Local Property Tax Collections Per Capita, Fiscal Year 2007 , October 4, 2009
- Gerald Prante of the Tax Foundation: Property Taxes, September 30, 2009
- Map: Property Taxes on Owner-Occupied Housing by State, September 28, 2009
- Census Survey: Northeast and Parts of Midwest Continue to Rank Highest in Property Taxes on Homeowners, September 22, 2009
- New Census Data on Property Taxes on Homeowners, by Gerald Prante, September 22, 2009
- State Business Tax Climate Index--Property Tax Index, 2010 , September 22, 2009
- Property Taxes on Owner-Occupied Housing, by County, 2005 - 2008, Ranked by Property Taxes Paid, September 22, 2009
- Property Taxes on Owner-Occupied Housing by State, 2004 - 2008, September 22, 2009
- Property Taxes on Owner-Occupied Housing by County, 2005 - 2008, Ranked by Taxes as Percentage of Home Value, September 22, 2009
- States Use Gentle Hand in Taxing Timberland, by Travis Greaves, March 25, 2009
- New Census Data on Property Taxes on Homeowners, by Gerald Prante and Mark Robyn, December 12, 2008
- Property Tax on Owner-Occupied Housing, by County, Ranked by Property Taxes Paid*, 2005-2007 (3-Year Average), December 12, 2008
- Property Tax on Owner-Occupied Housing, by County, Ranked by Property Taxes as a Percentage of Home Value*, 2005-2007 (3-Year Average), December 12, 2008
- NYC May See Higher Income, Sales and Property Taxes, by Josh Barro, November 12, 2008
- Would the Proposed Bailout Affect Local Property Tax Collections?, by Joseph Henchman, September 29, 2008
- New Census Data on Property Taxes on Homeowners, by Gerald Prante, September 23, 2008
- Sound Tax Policy Coming to New York (?), by Josh Barro, June 6, 2008
- Supreme Court Backs Railroad, Throws Out Tax Assessment, by Joseph Henchman, March 1, 2008
- State Property Tax Debates Heating Up, by Tonya Barr, January 1, 2008
- Tax Foundation Testimony Before the Ways and Means Committee of the Vermont Legislature, by William Ahern and Gerald Prante, December 11, 2007
- New Census Data Shows Where Property Taxes Hit Homeowners Hardest, by Gerald Prante, September 12, 2007
- Protecting Taxpayers From Discriminatory Taxes at the U.S. Supreme Court?CSX Transportation, Inc. v. State Board of Equalization of Georgia, by Brian E. Bailey and Chris Atkins, July 30, 2007
- Appropriation by Litigation: Estimating the Cost of Judicial Mandates for State and Local Education Spending, by Chris Atkins, July 26, 2007
- Change in Per Capita State and Local Property Taxes from 2000 to 2005, May 15, 2007
- Questions About Property Tax Reform, by Gerald Prante, May 2, 2007
- William Fox on the Merits of State Sales Taxes and Local Property Taxes, April 5, 2007
- Gerald Prante on Soaring Property Tax Collections, December 19, 2006
- Property Tax Collections Surged with Housing Boom, by Gerald Prante, December 1, 2006
- State and Local Property Taxes, by Michael Lorelli, August 1, 2001
- State and Local Property Tax Collections, by J. Scott Moody, October 1, 1999
- Impact of Virginia's Gubernatorial Personal Property Tax Relief Plans Vary Widely by Locality, by Patrick Fleenor, October 1, 1997
- Property Taxes on the Rise Again Across Nation, by Chris R. Edwards, August 1, 1993
- Tax Review: Property Taxation: Classifying Types of Property to Differentiate Burdens, by C. Lowell Harriss, May 1, 1980
- Tax Review: Proposition 13: A Prostitution of Conservative Principles, by Donald G. Hagman, September 1, 1978
- Tax Review: Property Taxation after the California Vote, by C. Lowell Harriss, August 1, 1978
- Property Taxation in Government Finance, by C. Lowell Harriss, November 1, 1974
- Tax Review: The Property Tax Under Fire, by Kenneth Back, March 1, 1973
- Tax Review: Property Tax: Who Pays?, by C. Lowell Harriss, April 1, 1972
- Property Taxation: Economic Aspects, by C. Lowell Harriss, August 1, 1968
- State Aid and Local Property Taxes, December 17, 1943
- Links to Other Tax Policy Resources, December 31, 1969