Massachusetts property tax by county
The median Massachusetts homeowner pays $5,813 a year in property tax on a home worth $525,800, an effective rate of 1.11%. That ranks Massachusetts #17 of 51 states, against a national 0.98%.
Why the county matters more than the state
Hampden County charges an effective 1.57% and Nantucket County 0.22%, a spread of 1.35 points inside one state. Property tax in the United States is set by counties, cities, school districts and special districts, not by states. A statewide figure is a weighted average of thousands of separate decisions, and it can be a poor guide to any particular address.
Massachusetts sits 0.13 points above the national effective rate. States with high rates often have low home values, because a school district has to raise the same money whatever housing is worth. House prices in the state moved +3.6% over the year to 2026 Q2, which changes the denominator of this rate over time.
Every county ranked
| # | County | Rate | Median bill | Home value | Rent | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hampden County | 1.57% | $4,332 | $276,300 | $1,105 | $70,535 |
| 2 | Franklin County | 1.51% | $4,595 | $303,400 | $1,169 | $72,584 |
| 3 | Hampshire County | 1.47% | $5,326 | $363,400 | $1,332 | $86,391 |
| 4 | Berkshire County | 1.37% | $3,891 | $283,800 | $1,042 | $72,565 |
| 5 | Worcester County | 1.33% | $5,207 | $390,700 | $1,347 | $93,561 |
| 6 | Plymouth County | 1.24% | $6,345 | $513,000 | $1,655 | $109,698 |
| 7 | Bristol County | 1.11% | $4,685 | $421,800 | $1,181 | $84,198 |
| 8 | Norfolk County | 1.09% | $7,081 | $649,400 | $2,072 | $126,497 |
| 9 | Essex County | 1.07% | $6,267 | $584,000 | $1,673 | $99,431 |
| 10 | Middlesex County | 1.05% | $7,240 | $687,200 | $2,126 | $126,779 |
| 11 | Barnstable County | 0.71% | $4,090 | $575,900 | $1,596 | $94,452 |
| 12 | Suffolk County | 0.67% | $4,533 | $680,700 | $2,069 | $92,859 |
| 13 | Dukes County | 0.50% | $5,503 | $1,104,100 | $1,371 | $102,348 |
| 14 | Nantucket County | 0.22% | $2,985 | $1,387,000 | $2,070 | $119,750 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. The effective property tax rate is median taxes paid divided by median home value. The two medians come from different distributions, so it approximates the typical rate rather than describing any one household.