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Largest counties · 2026

Property tax in the 50 largest US counties

The biggest metros by population, with how much homeowners actually pay. Los Angeles, Cook, Harris, Maricopa — the population centers that dominate American life — and what they cost to live in.

# County State Population Effective rate Median bill
1 Los Angeles County CA California 9.8M 0.75% $7,012
2 Cook County IL Illinois 5.0M 2.19% $7,120
3 Harris County TX Texas 4.8M 2.03% $6,498
4 Maricopa County AZ Arizona 4.7M 0.58% $2,520
5 San Diego County CA California 3.3M 0.65% $5,948
6 Orange County CA California 3.2M 0.69% $8,280
7 Miami-Dade County FL Florida 2.8M 0.97% $4,710
8 Dallas County TX Texas 2.6M 1.85% $5,114
9 Brooklyn County NY New York 2.6M 0.75% $5,341
10 Riverside County CA California 2.5M 0.95% $5,715
11 Clark County NV Nevada 2.3M 0.50% $2,225
12 King County WA Washington 2.3M 0.85% $6,745
13 Queens County NY New York 2.3M 0.87% $5,817
14 Tarrant County TX Texas 2.2M 1.80% $5,465
15 San Bernardino County CA California 2.2M 0.78% $4,258
16 Broward County FL Florida 2.0M 1.03% $4,380
17 Bexar County TX Texas 2.0M 1.75% $4,977
18 Santa Clara County CA California 1.9M 0.65% $10,100
19 Wayne County MI Michigan 1.7M 1.86% $3,069
20 Manhattan County NY New York 1.7M 0.92% $10,926
21 Alameda County CA California 1.7M 0.80% $8,725
22 Middlesex County MA Massachusetts 1.6M 1.13% $7,345
23 Philadelphia County PA Pennsylvania 1.6M 0.95% $2,100
24 Sacramento County CA California 1.6M 0.73% $4,052
25 Palm Beach County FL Florida 1.6M 1.11% $5,155
26 Hillsborough County FL Florida 1.6M 1.09% $3,760
27 Orange County FL Florida 1.5M 1.05% $3,940
28 Suffolk County NY New York 1.5M 2.10% $10,560
29 Nassau County NY New York 1.4M 2.05% $12,415
30 Bronx County NY New York 1.4M 1.08% $5,171
31 Franklin County OH Ohio 1.3M 1.95% $5,495
32 Travis County TX Texas 1.3M 2.10% $10,815
33 Hennepin County MN Minnesota 1.3M 1.26% $4,145
34 Oakland County MI Michigan 1.3M 1.23% $4,509
35 Collin County TX Texas 1.3M 1.68% $7,800
36 Allegheny County PA Pennsylvania 1.3M 2.00% $3,368
37 Cuyahoga County OH Ohio 1.2M 2.55% $4,445
38 Salt Lake County UT Utah 1.2M 0.60% $3,360
39 Wake County NC North Carolina 1.2M 0.91% $4,100
40 Contra Costa County CA California 1.2M 0.81% $5,873
41 Fairfax County VA Virginia 1.1M 1.17% $8,134
42 Mecklenburg County NC North Carolina 1.1M 0.90% $3,240
43 Pima County AZ Arizona 1.1M 0.83% $2,365
44 Fulton County GA Georgia 1.1M 1.10% $4,310
45 Montgomery County MD Maryland 1.1M 0.84% $4,872
46 Denton County TX Texas 1.0M 1.76% $6,950
47 Duval County FL Florida 1.0M 0.96% $2,835
48 Fresno County CA California 1.0M 0.83% $3,196
49 Westchester County NY New York 1.0M 2.20% $14,670
50 Honolulu County HI Hawaii 1.0M 0.30% $2,490

The big-metro paradox

The 50 largest counties are home to roughly 40% of all Americans. They also span the entire range of property tax burden — from Honolulu’s 0.27% rate to Westchester’s 2%+ — meaning a homeowner’s tax bill depends as much on which side of which county line they live on as on their home value.

Notably, the most expensive housing markets don’t always have the highest rates. Los Angeles, San Diego, and Honolulu have low rates because Proposition 13 (CA) and Hawaii’s structural homestead protections limit assessed value growth. Conversely, rust-belt counties like Cook (Chicago) and Wayne (Detroit) compensate for declining tax bases with higher rates.

For more detail: cheapest county within each metro, or compare any two counties directly.

About this site's data and estimates. The Property Tax Almanac is an independent editorial reference. It is not affiliated with any government agency, tax assessor, or tax preparation service. The calculators and data on this site are informational and are not a substitute for advice from a qualified tax professional, attorney, or your official county assessor or appraisal district.

Accuracy, sources, and scope. Tax rate data is compiled from publicly available sources — including the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, the Illinois Department of Revenue, the Florida Department of Revenue, the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, the Arizona Department of Revenue, the North Carolina Department of Revenue, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, the Michigan Department of Treasury, the Iowa Department of Revenue and Iowa Department of Management, the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the California State Board of Equalization, individual county appraisal and assessor offices, and the US Census Bureau — and is believed to be accurate as of the "revised" date shown on each page. Rates change annually (and sometimes mid-year) through local budget adoptions, legislative action, and voter-approved measures. Rates displayed reflect the primary tax district of the county seat; rates in other cities, school districts, Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs), Emergency Services Districts (ESDs), Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts (CFDs), and special taxing units within the same county may be meaningfully higher or lower. Census population figures are from the 2020 Decennial Census and are rounded to the nearest 100.

How to use these estimates. The calculator produces a rough estimate based on the county seat's combined rate, statutory deductions and exemptions available statewide, and the value you enter. Your actual bill depends on your specific parcel's assessed or appraised value, the exact taxing entities covering your address, any local-option exemptions you qualify for, any assessment caps or circuit-breaker protections (e.g., Florida's Save Our Homes, Arizona's Prop 117 LPV cap, Indiana's 1% circuit breaker, North Carolina's Elderly/Disabled Exclusion, Wisconsin's Lottery & Gaming Credit, Michigan's Proposal A 5%/IRM cap, Iowa's residential rollback, Minnesota's Homestead Market Value Exclusion, California's Proposition 13 acquisition-value system and 2% annual cap), and any appeal or protest outcomes. For an authoritative figure, consult your county appraisal district (Texas), county assessor (Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Arizona, North Carolina, Iowa, Minnesota, California), county property appraiser (Florida), or municipal/township assessor (Wisconsin and Michigan — assessments are set at the city/village/township level rather than the county level; some Iowa and Minnesota cities also have city-level assessors). The contact information for the primary authority in each county is listed at the top of that county's page.

No legal or tax advice; no warranty. Nothing on this site constitutes legal, tax, financial, investment, or real estate advice. The Property Tax Almanac, its authors, and its publisher make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of the content on this site. Any reliance you place on the information is strictly at your own risk. We are not liable for any loss or damage — including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage — arising from the use of this site or from decisions made based on its content.

Found an error? Property tax rules are complex and change often. If you spot an inaccuracy, please contact us — corrections help every reader who comes after you.

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