Map Shows How Property Taxes Compare Across the US as Florida Pushes Relief

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is calling a special legislative session for lawmakers to add an initiative to the November ballot to eliminate property taxes for millions of homeowners in the state.

As Florida leaders advance new property‑tax relief proposals, the national comparison shows how the state stacks up against high‑tax and low‑tax regions. DeSantis' announcement touts the cuts as providing relief for homeowners in Florida amid growing economic pressure around the cost of living and gas prices. But critics have noted that property taxes fund schools, infrastructure and local services-meaning cuts can have ripple effects on local governments.

Newsweek reached out to DeSantis' office for comment via email.

What to Know About Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Proposal to Cut Property Taxes

DeSantis announced during a press conference on Wednesday in Tampa that he would be issuing a proclamation to call the special session for the purpose of putting on the ballot the amendment to make homestead properties tax-free. If it passes the Legislature, Florida voters would get to decide whether or not to eliminate property tax on homesteads.

The amendment would do so by exempting the first $250,000 of a homestead's value from taxation and requiring lawmakers to implement a schedule for full elimination. That would initially eliminate property tax for 60 percent of Florida homeowners, DeSantis said.

When the exemption is raised to a $500,000 limit, property taxes would be eliminated for 92 percent of all Florida homeowners, DeSantis said.

DeSantis said property taxes are "the worst way to do taxes," noting that revenue from those taxes has grown from $32 billion to $60 billion over the past seven years. That growth is because of rising valuations, he said.

"So you have a home and then all of a sudden you’re having to pay more just because the house down the street may have sold for more," he said.

A report from the Florida Policy Institute (FPI) released last year described proposals to cut property taxes as "risky" because local governments depend on the taxes to provide services to residents.

The report, authored by Esteban Leonardo Santis, found that property taxes are "regressive" and that homeowners "with low to moderate income spend more of their budget paying their property tax than wealthy homeowners. But it did find that cuts to property taxes could have implications for local governments.

"Relatedly, sales tax revenue is less stable than property tax revenue, meaning that tying all of the public services currently supported by local property taxes-good schools, public safety, and community programs-to general state sales taxes would make funding more susceptible to cuts and instability during economic downturns," the report reads.

DeSantis addressed those concerns during the press conference. Part of his proposal would stipulate that revenue can be used only for specific services like education, police and fire departments.

"Obviously, you know, you got to run services,” he said. “But all the time, the taxpayers [are] having to pay more and more for basically the same level of services that they would have gotten 10 years ago when their property tax bill was a lot less."

How Do Florida’s Property Taxes Compare to Other States?

Property taxes are collected at the local level, so the precise tax can vary by city or county. In 2024, Floridians had a property tax rate of .76 percent, ranking 24th lowest on the list, according to a WalletHub report published in February 2026. To determine the rate, WalletHub divided the "median real-estate tax payment" by the "median home price" in each state.

New Jersey homeowners had the highest property tax rate at 2.11 percent, followed by Illinois at 2.01 percent and Connecticut at 1.81 percent.

At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii had the lowest property tax rate at .27 percent, followed by Alabama at .38 percent and Nevada at .47 percent, according to WalletHub.

The average U.S. homeowner paid $3,119 annually in property taxes, according to the WalletHub report.

"Some states charge no property taxes at all, while others charge an arm and a leg," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote in the report. "Americans who are considering moving and want to maximize the amount of money they take home should take into account property tax rates, in addition to other financial factors like the overall cost of living, when deciding on a city."

What Is the Cost of Living Like in the U.S. Right Now?

The cost of living remains one of the biggest pressure points for households across the country, even as inflation has eased from its COVID-19 pandemic-era peak. Year‑over‑year inflation is still running above the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target. The inflation rate sat at 3.8 percent in April, up from 2.4 percent in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Gas prices have climbed amid the war with Iran that began on February 28, adding to transportation and shipping costs that ripple through the broader economy. The average cost of gasoline in the U.S. was $4.459 per gallon on Wednesday, down from $4.555 a week earlier, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz have caused the price surge. Roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day, about one‑fifth of global petroleum consumption, normally pass through the strait, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. Its closure amid the war has put additional pressure on global oil markets, leading to higher prices in the U.S. and globally.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 2:25 PM.