10 Places With the Worst Property Tax Rates in America

Crown Point Courthouse Square Historic District in Crown Point, Indiana
Roberto Galan / Shutterstock.com

Most of us hate paying property taxes, but some homeowners in the eastern half of the U.S. have it worse than in other parts of the country.

A recent analysis by real estate data company Attom found that the U.S. counties with the highest effective property tax rates in 2024 are east of the Mississippi River. (The effective tax rate is a statistic that reflects the average annual property tax bill amount as a percentage of the average home value.)

Attom used local tax assessor data from more than 1,400 counties nationwide for 85 million U.S. single-family homes. New York was excluded from this year’s report due to data constraints.

While the national average effective property tax rate is 0.86%, rates are much higher in certain counties in the eastern half of the U.S. — including the following counties that have the nation’s highest property taxes.

1. Beaver County, Pennsylvania

Rural church in Beaver County, Pennsylvania
Muk / Shutterstock.com

Effective property tax rate: 3.58%

Average property tax bill: $8,238

Average estimated home value: $230,036

Estimated population: 166,000

Beaver County is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, and the states of Ohio and West Virginia border it on the west.

Property taxes will be even worse this year for one part of the county, Beaver Borough. Late last year, the local council approved a 56% property tax increase for 2025.

2. Lake County, Indiana

Shops around the old Courthouse at the Historic District of Crown Point, Indiana
Roberto Galan / Shutterstock.com

Effective property tax rate: 2.52%

Average property tax bill: $6,743

Average estimated home value: $267,280

Estimated population: 503,000

Lake County is Indiana’s northwestern-most county. The county’s name is a reflection of its proximity to Lake Michigan. Crown Point is the county seat.

3. Kendall County, Illinois

Oswego, Illinois
Rob Painter / Shutterstock.com

Effective property tax rate: 2.15%

Average property tax bill: $7,968

Average estimated home value: $370,669

Estimated population: 143,000

The Fox River runs though Kendall County. Visitors and residents alike can enjoy the many parklands that are part of the Kendall County Forest Preserve District.

The rest of the top 10

Highland Park, Illinois, Lake County
marchello74 / Shutterstock.com

Here are the rest of the top 10 counties, along with their effective property tax rates, average property tax bill and average estimated home value:

  • Lake County, Illinois: 2.13%; $10,370; $486,609
  • Rock Island County, Illinois: 2.1%; $3,698; $176,118
  • Cuyahoga County, Ohio: 2.08%; $5,058; $242,644
  • Camden County, New Jersey: 2.07%; $7,621; $368,981
  • Macon County, Illinois: 2.06%; $2,874; $139,221
  • Winnebago County, Illinois: 2.06%; $4,230; $205,490
  • Will County, Illinois: 2.05%; $7,915; $385,415
 

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