What does this measure?

The median property tax burden for homeowners in a geographic area, expressed as a percentage of the median home value.

Why is this important?

Property taxes are one of the primary ways municipal governments and schools raise funding. Property taxes add to a family's financial burden, but they provide funding for essential services such as education, emergency response, and snow removal and road maintenance, and for valued community assets, such as parks and recreation.

How is our state performing?

In 2011-15, the median property tax paid in Delaware was 0.5% of the median home value. Kent County had about the same level while Sussex was a bit lower at 0.3% and New Castle a bit higher at 0.7%.

How do we compare to the nation and similar states or regions?

Delaware's property tax burden was less than half the national level of 1.2%. Delaware's burden was also below Rhode Island (1.6%), the Jacksonville metro area (1.0%) and the Richmond area (0.8%).

Notes about the data

Multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.