NJ property tax compared to other states…you'd better sit down

What can you say about New Jersey property taxes that haven't already been said?

It feels insane to put up with it. This state funds its school so heavily on a local tax burden yet resists so much the thought of consolidating school districts.

Our property taxes are a living nightmare.

It’s a good thing it’s spooky season being October and all. A perfect time for this Forbes data crunch. Forbes compiled data from the U.S. Census Bureau and looked at, among other things, a state-by-state comparison of median property taxes. Not to be confused with average, median means the midpoint, exactly the middle of what homeowners are paying. Half pay more and half pay less.

Now New Jersey’s average property tax bill last year was $9,490. And the median property tax in New Jersey is $8,797. That is the highest in the nation.

And the next closest to us is Connecticut at $6,153. That’s a staggering $2,644 difference. We pay that much more than the closest state.

Think about how that also affects rents. Think about how that affects small businesses. Think about how it impacts a school budget item that may be voted down because the property taxpayers have just had too much heartache.

Think about how that makes people want to leave.

That’s the scariest part. Our fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers can’t afford to retire here. It’s like a second mortgage payment. It’s like the house you paid off years ago still isn’t paid off in a way, and doesn’t ever feel like yours.

Words like disheartening, crushing, daunting, and oppressive don’t begin to scratch the surface.

Take a look at all fifty states and D.C. and compare what we’re paying. You’re not going to like what you see.

Alabama
$646

Alaska
$3,464

Arizona
$1,648

Arkansas
$878

California
$4,279

Colorado
$2,017

Connecticut
$6,153

Delaware
$1,570

District of Columbia
$3,641

Florida
$2,143

Georgia
$1,850

Hawaii
$1,893

Idaho
$1,682

Illinois
$4,744

Indiana
$1,308

Iowa
$2,522

Kansas
$2,355

Kentucky
$1,320

Louisiana
$983

Maine
$2,722

Maryland
$3,633

Massachusetts
$5,091

Michigan
$2,551

Minnesota
$2,767

Mississippi
$1,052

Missouri
$1,676

Montana
$2,189

Nebraska
$2,916

Nevada
$1,736

New Hampshire
$6,036

New Jersey
$8,797

New Mexico
$1,470

New York
$5,884

North Carolina
$1,583

North Dakota
$2,092

Ohio
$2,447

Oklahoma
$1,351

Oregon
$3,352

Pennsylvania
$3,022

Rhode Island
$4,483

South Carolina
$1,024

South Dakota
$2,331

Tennessee
$1,270

Texas
$3,520

Utah
$1,967

Vermont
$4,570

Virginia
$2,420

Washington
$3,752

West Virginia
$756

Wisconsin
$3,472

Wyoming
$1,442

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

30 'poorest' neighborhoods in NJ

These ZIP codes in New Jersey have the highest percentage of households earning less than $25,000 in annual median income. The figures are based on 5-year data by the U.S. Census American Community Survey as of 2021.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

LOOK: These Are the 50 biggest retailers in America

Stacker compiled a list of the 50 biggest retailers in the country, using retail sales data from Kantar, provided by the National Retail Federation.

Gallery Credit: Madison Troyer & Zack Abrams

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

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Competitive NJ school board races fall 2023

In time for November elections, 1,804 board of education candidates have been registered around New Jersey, for a total of 1,487 open seats.

These are not evenly spread — some boards have zero candidates for an available spot, while others have more than three candidates vying for each seat. The following competitive races are based on data from the New Jersey School Board Association.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt