Two California counties beat 0.5% on new property-tax map
Key Takeaway: The Tax Foundation’s 2026 county-by-county property-tax map puts California’s effective rate at 0.70%, ranking 32nd nationally, while Trinity and Del Norte counties slip under the 0.5% mark.
California did not make Realtor.com’s list of states where homeowners pay the lowest property tax bills, but a closer look at the underlying county data shows two California counties beating the 0.5% benchmark. The findings come from the Tax Foundation’s ‘Property Taxes by State and County, 2026’ report, mapped and reported by Realtor.com on Oct. 21.
Statewide, California’s effective property tax rate is 0.70%, ranking 32nd of 50 states, according to the Tax Foundation, with the figures corroborated by Rocket Mortgage’s 2026 state rankings.
Trinity and Del Norte beat the benchmark
In the Tax Foundation’s county table, Trinity County’s effective rate is 0.26%, the lowest in California, with a median home value of $325,800 and median property taxes paid of $1,888. Del Norte County follows at 0.49%, with a median home value of $342,000 and median taxes paid of $2,099.
The next-lowest California counties are Alpine at 0.55% and Mariposa at 0.58%, neither of which clears the 0.5% line. Realtor.com’s article itself names no California county under 0.5%; the county figures come from the underlying Tax Foundation table.
Since home values vary significantly across counties, it is also important to compare effective tax burdens (the median property tax paid divided by the median value of owner-occupied housing units),
Tax Foundation report, via Realtor.com
Five states sit under 0.5%
Nationally, five states have effective rates below 0.5%: South Carolina at 0.49%, Arizona and Utah at 0.48%, Alabama at 0.37% and Hawaii at 0.29%. All except Alabama ticked slightly lower than the year before, according to the report.
Realtor.com notes that buyers are weighing the tax burden when choosing where to live. “Many buyers who are moving to South Carolina from other states mention that the property taxes are much lower here versus their home state,” said Leslie Turner, cofounder of Maison Real Estate in Charleston County, South Carolina.
Buyers are increasingly focused on the overall cost of homeownership, and Arizona’s relatively low property taxes are a meaningful advantage,
Shawna Warner, founding partner at RETSY Forbes Global Properties, Scottsdale AZ, via Realtor.com
How the rates are calculated
The effective rate is the median property tax paid divided by the median value of owner-occupied housing units, computed from 2024 Census American Community Survey five-year estimates with Tax Foundation calculations. The figures exclude taxes paid by businesses and renters, so they describe owner-occupied homes only.
The report is authored by Senior Policy Analyst Janelle Fritts, a name Realtor.com renders as ‘Janelle Fritz.’ The surname in the Tax Foundation’s own publication is Fritts.
At the top end, Marin County is one of 16 US counties with median property tax bills above $10,000, according to the report.
Low property tax rates drive interest which results in sales,
Justin Winter, Forbes Global Properties, via Realtor.com
The highest and the rest
New Jersey’s 1.88% effective rate, tied with Illinois, is the highest in the country, followed by Connecticut at 1.54%, Vermont at 1.51% and New Hampshire at 1.50%. Texas ranks seventh at 1.40% despite levying no personal or corporate income tax.
One wrinkle: Realtor.com lists Vermont at 1.54%, but the Tax Foundation table and Rocket Mortgage both put it at 1.51%. This article uses the Tax Foundation figure.
Rocket Mortgage adds California context: a median home value of $788,920, with the tax on the median home at $5,522.
Key Story Metrics
| Figure | Reported Status |
|---|---|
| Effective rate, California | 0.70% (rank 32 of 50), 2024 ACS data; 2026 report |
| Trinity County, CA | 0.26%, 2024 ACS data; Tax Foundation table |
| Del Norte County, CA | 0.49%, 2024 ACS data; Tax Foundation table |
| Hawaii (lowest state) | 0.29%, 2024 ACS data; 2026 report |
| South Carolina | 0.49%, 2024 ACS data; 2026 report |
| New Jersey (highest) | 1.88% (tied Illinois), 2024 ACS data; 2026 report |
| Median CA home value | $788,920, Rocket Mortgage, Oct 2026 |
| Tax on median CA home | $5,522, Rocket Mortgage, Oct 2026 |
✓ Verified
The five under-0.5% states and their rates are corroborated by the Tax Foundation table, Realtor.com and Rocket Mortgage. California’s 0.70% rate and 32nd-place rank appear in both the Tax Foundation table and Rocket Mortgage’s rankings. The Trinity and Del Norte county figures come from the Tax Foundation’s county table. The methodology (Census 2024 ACS five-year estimates; effective rate as median taxes paid over median owner-occupied home value) is stated in the Tax Foundation report.
⚠ Still needs confirmation
A Bankrate snippet lists California at 0.69% rather than 0.70%, likely a different data vintage or methodology; this article uses the Tax Foundation’s 0.70%. Realtor.com’s Vermont figure (1.54%) differs from the Tax Foundation table (1.51%); treated here as a likely article typo.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the effective property tax rate calculated?
The Tax Foundation divides the median property taxes paid by the median value of owner-occupied housing units, using 2024 Census American Community Survey data; taxes paid by businesses and renters are excluded.
Which California counties have the lowest effective rates?
In the Tax Foundation’s county table, Trinity County is lowest at 0.26% and Del Norte County at 0.49%; Alpine (0.55%) and Mariposa (0.58%) follow.
Editor’s note: Figures are effective rates on owner-occupied homes from 2024 Census data, not current tax bills. The Realtor.com article was published Oct. 21, 2026; this report draws on its figures and the underlying Tax Foundation tables.
