Property Taxes In Maplewood Among 25 Highest In NJ: See Rank

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Property taxes are on the rise in many towns, and recently released rankings show several Essex County towns, including Maplewood, near the top of the list.

Earlier this week, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA) published its latest tax tables, based on 2022 data. Statewide, an average New Jersey property valued at $351,702 paid $9,490 in taxes over all four quarters last year – up nearly 2.22 percent from the previous year.

Patch put together a list of the average property tax bills for each town and city.

According to the NJDCA, Maplewood homeowners have the 24th-highest average property tax bill in the state. With an average home valued at $503,300, Maplewood residents paid $17,744 in taxes over 2022, up only slightly from $17,143 the previous year.

Property taxes in New Jersey are made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. The town votes on its annual budget, the school board votes on theirs, and each county strikes theirs.

According to the NJDCA, here is the average tax bill in each city and town for 2022 (ranked from highest to lowest). Click this link for the previous year.

1. Tavistock Borough, Camden - $29,996
2. Millburn Township, Essex - $24,623
3. Demarest Borough, Bergen - $22,636
4. Tenafly Borough, Bergen - $22,411
5. Rumson Borough, Monmouth - $22,093
6. Glen Ridge Borough, Essex - $22,059
7. Mountain Lakes Borough, Morris - $21,861
8. Alpine Borough, Bergen - $21,169
9. Montclair Township, Essex - $20,775
10. Princeton, Mercer - $20,539
11. South Orange Village Township, Essex - $20,496
12. Essex Fells Borough, Essex - $20,420
13. Deal Borough, Monmouth - $20,197
14. Mendham Township, Morris - $19,850
15. Mantoloking Borough, Ocean -$19,330
16. Ridgewood Village, Bergen - $19,193
17. Haworth Borough, Bergen - $18,905
18. Saddle River Borough, Bergen - $18,841
19. Upper Saddle River Borough, Bergen - $18,384
20. Summit City, Union - $18,244
21. Cresskill Borough, Bergen - $17,961
22. Franklin Lakes Borough, Bergen - $17,944
23. Glen Rock Borough, Bergen - $17,766
24. Maplewood Township, Essex - $17,744
25. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough, Bergen - $17,697
26. Westfield Town, Union - $17,422
27. Woodcliff Lake Borough, Bergen - $17,341
28. Allenhurst Borough, Monmouth - $17,267
29. North Caldwell Borough, Essex - $17,200
30. Fair Haven Borough, Monmouth - $16,885
31. Closter Borough, Bergen - $16,806
32. Old Tappan Borough, Bergen - $16,742
33. Bernardsville Borough, Somerset - $16,592
34. Mendham Borough, Morris - $16,550
35. Allendale Borough, Bergen - $16,527
36. Livingston Township, Essex - $16,458
37. Chatham Township, Morris - $16,354
38. Chester Township, Morris - $16,347
39. Haddonfield Borough, Camden - $16,345
40. Harrington Park Borough, Bergen - $16,126

PAYING PROPERTY TAXES IN NEW JERSEY

Here are three things to keep in mind about property taxes in New Jersey.

HOME VALUES – It’s easy to make comparisons between towns based on their average tax bills. But if you take a look at a town’s “effective tax rate” – the amount of property tax paid relative to a home’s value – a different story often emerges. Analyzing the data in a recent Patch article in Essex County last year, a community member noticed a startling pattern: the wealthiest communities almost always had the lowest effective tax rates. Read More: Many Wealthier Towns Pay Lower Property Tax Rates In This NJ County

BANG FOR THE BUCK – Some experts have pointed out that a high tax bill doesn't necessarily mean a homeowner is getting ripped off – it depends on what you get for the money. “While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, it's worth noting that property taxes are largely rooted in the ‘benefit principle’ of government finance – the people paying the bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services,” researchers from The Tax Foundation recently wrote.

BLAMING POLITICS – Taxes and home values have gone up steadily throughout the state over the past decade, regardless of what political party is in the governor's seat. When former Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the state Legislature reached a historic deal for a 2 percent cap in 2011, the average property tax bill in New Jersey was at $7,759 for a home valued at $299,014. By the time Christie left office, the average property tax payment had risen by 13 percent. It has continued to go up since then; according to the latest tax table figures, the average property tax increased by 8.25 percent between 2022 and 2018, the first year Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy took office.