Swampscott Property Tax Increase Comes in Well Below State Average

SWAMPSCOTT, MA - Rents and property values are not the only living expenses spiking in the Commonwealth, property taxes are on the rise as well.

The Boston Globe reported Sunday that property taxes in the Commonwealth will see a 4 percent spike this year. According to its analysis of 328 of the state’s 351 communities, The Globe found that the average property tax bill has increased from an average of $5,232 in 2015 to an average of $5,438 in 2016.

Property tax bills in Swampscott, however, won’t see that large of a jump. Homeowners in town can expect to see an increase of $87 in 2016. The average tax bill for a single-family home is scheduled to increase from $8,961 to $9,048, a minor increase of .97 percent.

Only 16 of the 328 reported municipalities will see property tax decreases in 2016. Forty-six of the 328 communities can expect increases of an average of 6 percent or more this year.

The increases have risen in accordance with rising home values. The averaged assessed value of a single-family home saw an increase of approximately 3.8 percent, according to the globe’s report.

Swampscott homeowners dodged the high increases coming to several neighboring towns, like Marblehead, where homeowners will pay, on average, $305 more in 2016 than they did in 2015.

In terms of sheer dollars, Brookline homeowners will see the biggest jump at $825, a 5.93 percent increase, according to the Globe’s data. While the dollars aren’t as much, Chelsea homeowners will absorb the highest percentage increase at 16.89 percent, an average cost of $421.

Property tax increases vary across the state. Click here to see the status of your community.