Politics & Government
See How Medford's Commercial Tax Base Compares to Communities Nearby
A look at the numbers.
Massachusetts lawmakers face a looming deadline to pass a state budget, with the fiscal year ending this Saturday, and while city and local officials watch to see the final local aid numbers for fiscal 2013, it's property taxes that fund the biggest chunk of most municipal budgets.
And when it comes to the property tax base, Medford's commercial tax base is similar to many of its nearby neighbors, but it pales in comparison to the massive returns of Boston and Cambridge.
According to data from the state Division of Local Services, commercial, industrial and personal property makes up 13 percent of Medford's overall property tax base. Among greater Boston communities, that's most similar to Malden, 14.6 percent, and Somerville, 15.4 percent.
Find out what's happening in Medfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The chart below shows the total value of all residential properties by community; the total value of all commercial, industrial and personal property by community; and how their corresponding percentage of the community's total property value. The last column shows by what factor each community shifted the tax burden onto commercial properties, if allowed by the state.
Figures in the chart are from fiscal year 2012 and taken the Massachusetts Division of Local Services.
Find out what's happening in Medfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Value ($)
Res., Open Space Value as % of Total Value
Commericial, Industrial and Personal Property (CIP) Value ($)
CIP as % of Total Value
6,534,177,068 94.00 6,954,794,567 6.00 1.000 Boston 57,517,785,218
65.00 88,500,410,287 35.00 1.750 Cambridge 15,018,134,067 61.40 24,446,954,999 38.60 1.697 Chelsea 1,394,456,339 68.10 2,047,008,800 31.90 1.750 Everett 2,279,045,425 64.50 3,535,432,288 35.50 1.750 Lynnfield 2,096,637,630 91.90 2,282,013,467 8.10 1.083 Malden 4,045,434,816 85.40 4,736,723,206 14.60 1.750 Medford 5,581,478,578 87.00 6,418,755,640 13.00 1.750 Melrose 3,324,784,060 94.10 3,533,935,488 5.90 1.480 Reading 3,389,725,591 90.10 3,764,013,606 9.90 1.000 Revere 3,206,665,958 84.80 3,781,124,856 15.20 1.750 Saugus 2,927,046,300 78.90 3,708,538,050 21.10 1.750 Somerville 7,099,067,112 84.60 8,390,572,190 15.40 1.750 Stoneham 2,607,923,631 88.40 2,951,475,123 11.60 1.500 Wakefield 3,238,660,039 84.40 3,837,880,740 15.60 1.750 Winchester 5,078,548,573 94.60 5,367,101,340 5.40 1.000 Winthrop 1,560,586,625 93.00 1,677,355,600 7.00 1.000 Woburn 3,932,472,349 70.00 5,619,109,630 30.00 1.750
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