Tampa Bay area counties with the lowest average effective property tax rate

Everyone likes paying less taxes to the government. How much money you owe every year in property taxes is primarily determined by where you live.

According to a new report released by ATTOM Data Solutions on Thursday, the average American homeowner paid $3,296 in property taxes in 2016. The effective tax rate was 1.15 percent.

The number was determined by analyzing property tax data from county tax assessor offices and the estimated market values of single family homes across the country.

New Jersey led the nation with the highest effective property tax rate at 2.31 percent. The only other states above two percent were Illinois (2.13%), Texas (2.06%), New Hampshire (2.03%), Vermont (2.02%), and Connecticut (2.00%).

The states with the lowest effective property tax rates were Hawaii (0.32%), Alabama (0.48%), Colorado (0.52%), Tennessee (0.54%), and Delaware (0.56%).

Two cities in New York State had the highest effective property tax rates: Binghamton (3.10%) and Rochester (2.99%). The lowest rate was in Honolulu (0.32%).

Nearly all homeowners in the 11 Tampa Bay area counties paid below the national effective property tax rate average. Only those living in DeSoto County paid a rate of 1.15% last year.

According to ATTOM Data Solutions, Manatee and Sarasota County homeowners paid the highest property tax amounts in 2016. Those counties do not have the highest rates in the Bay Area, but because their homes values are higher, so are their taxes.

The biggest surprise turned out to be the affordability of homes in both Hernando and Citrus Counties. If you do not mind a longer commute to work, you can buy a decent single-family home for under $160,000 and pay half in property taxes as people living in Hillsborough County.
 

The amount of property tax any given homeowner pays in Florida could be reduced through exemptions which may not be taken into account in these numbers.