How Maryland Property Taxes Compare With Other States

BALTIMORE, MD — Maryland residents don't pay some of the highest property taxes in the country — contrary to popular opinion — and the counties with average property taxes of $6,000 or higher are in the greater Washington, D.C., area, according to a new analysis from ATTOM Data. The 2017 property tax analysis found that Maryland had the 25th highest property tax rate — 1.03 percent — in the country.

The analysis also found that the average tax amount in Maryland increased by 2 percent in 2017 when compared to 2016. The average annual property tax in Maryland for 2017 was $3,495 in 2017 and in 2016 that figure was $3,437.

Two Maryland counties — Howard and Montgomery — had an average property tax amount of $6,000 or higher. The new tax bill signed into law by President Trump caps the state and local tax deduction, limiting the deduction residents can claim on their 2018 tax returns to $10,000. Howard County had an average property tax amount of $6,450, according to the analysis, while Montgomery County averages $6,539.

The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metropolitan area had an average property tax amount of $3,325 and an effective tax rate of 1.07 percent. The average property taxes in the metro area increased 1 percent when compared to 2016, which was lower than the 3 percent increase in average property taxes nationwide.

In contrast, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area had an average property tax payment of $5,059 and an effective tax rate of 1.01 percent. The average property taxes in the region increased 2 percent when compared to 2016, which was lower than the 3 percent increase in average property taxes nationwide.

Allegany County in western Maryland had a much lower average property tax amount of $834, and the city of Baltimore had an average property tax amount of $2,498.

Nationwide, ATTOM found that property taxes levied on single family homes went up 6 percent. Average property taxes for a single family home in 2017 went up 3 percent to $3,399 from the average property tax of $3,296 in 2016.

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