From Bloomberg.com:
The counties of Westchester, New York, and Hunterdon, New Jersey, charged the highest property tax bills in the U.S. during 2006-2008, the Tax Foundation said. All of the 10 top-paying counties were in the two states.
The median annual tax bill in Westchester, north of New York City, was $8,404 in the three-year period, the Washington, D.C.-based research organization said today in a study based on U.S. Census data. Hunterdon homeowners paid $8,347.
“In seven New Jersey counties and three New York counties, the median property tax over 2006-2008 is more than 7 percent of median household income, compared with the national median of 2.85 percent,” the study said.
New Jersey’s property taxes are an issue in the state’s Nov. 3 election for governor. Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine said on Oct. 23 he would halt growth of property taxes if re- elected. Republican challenger Christopher Christie said he would cut taxes across the board.
New Jersey ranked first among states with a $6,320 median property tax bill in 2008, Census Bureau data last month showed. States with the lowest median real-estate taxes last year were Louisiana, $188; Alabama, $383, and West Virginia, $457, the bureau said.
“The Northeast remains the area with the highest property taxes,” Gerald Prante, a Tax Foundation economist, said at the time. “These states also have high per capita income, and the highest property tax bills, in terms of dollar amounts, are usually found in the areas with the highest incomes.”