Westchester has highest property taxes in U.S.

With a median property tax bill of $8,404, residents in Westchester County pay more in property taxes than do people in any other major American county, according to a new analysis of census data from the Tax Foundation, the New York Times reported. The numbers are based on an average of real estate taxes paid on owner-occupied housing from 2006 to 2008. Adjusting for the median cost of owner-occupied homes in each county, Orleans County, N.Y., had the highest property tax burden, with a median tax obligation of $2,506, or 3.04 percent of the home value, while in Westchester County, the median tax level was just 1.44 percent of the county’s median house value. Comparing property taxes by their size relative to median household income, the residents of Passaic County, N.J., are most burdened, with a median real estate tax bill of $7,095, or 8.34 percent of the median household income. New York and New Jersey together accounted for all of the top 10 highest median property tax burdens, whether calculated by median property tax dollars paid, or as median taxes as a percent of median home value, or as median taxes as a percent of median income. [NYT]