Rensselaer County, New York property tax
The median homeowner in Rensselaer County, New York pays $5,357 a year in property tax on a home worth $244,300, an effective rate of 2.19%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 2.19%, Rensselaer County taxes property more heavily than the country as a whole, which sits at 0.98%. The rate is high and the housing is cheap, and those two facts are connected. The bill of $5,357 is what actually leaves a household's account, and it is the number worth comparing between places.
It ranks #30 of 62 New York counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.60%, and #57 nationally. The state runs from 3.00% in Orleans County down to 0.69% in Kings County.
The median home costs 2.82 times the median household income of $86,663, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 64.09% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. The county has 160,341 residents, which is small enough that the medians describe a reasonably coherent market.
The rate is derived rather than quoted. How and why.
What that costs at different home values
Arithmetic at the county effective rate, before any exemption or assessment cap.
Housing and income
| Rensselaer County | New York | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 2.19% | 1.60% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $5,357 | $6,450 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $244,300 | $403,000 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,182 | $1,576 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $86,663 | $84,578 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.82× | 4.76× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 16.37% | 22.36% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 64.09% | 54.31% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 160,341.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schenectady County | 2.46% | $5,486 | $223,100 |
| Ulster County | 1.94% | $6,124 | $315,100 |
| Chautauqua County | 2.39% | $2,846 | $119,300 |
| Broome County | 2.64% | $3,824 | $145,100 |
| Oswego County | 2.58% | $3,595 | $139,600 |
Rensselaer County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Rensselaer County, New York?
The effective rate is 2.19% of home value, from a median tax bill of $5,357 against a median home value of $244,300. That is 1.21 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Rensselaer County?
Roughly $8,760 a year at the county effective rate of 2.19%.
Is Rensselaer County expensive compared with the rest of New York?
It ranks #30 of 62 New York counties by effective property tax rate, and #57 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.59 points above the New York average of 1.60%.
What does housing cost in Rensselaer County?
The median home is worth $244,300 and median gross rent is $1,182 a month. Median household income is $86,663, which puts the home at 2.82 times annual income and rent at 16.37% of it.