Growls

Nor number 2 through number 38. And be happy you don’t live in New York or New Jersey.

The Tax Foundation has just published Fiscal Fact No. 269, which contains five-year property tax burden data for “nearly all” 3,169 counties in the United States. The data comes from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, and covers the years 2005-2009. Here’s how the Tax Foundation describes the numbers:

“For some time now, the Tax Foundation has published median property tax statistics for counties in the United States.  These statistics are based on data from the American Community Survey.  Previously, data limitations meant that only mid- to high-population counties could be included in the rankings.  Now, for the first time, we are pleased to present data that includes nearly all counties in the United States. We rank counties three different ways: by median property taxes paid on homes, by median property taxes as a percentage of median home values, and by median property taxes as a percentage of median household income.

“The Census Bureau recently released American Community Survey data as a five-year average, from 2005 to 2009. The larger number of survey responses and correspondingly larger sample sizes included in this five-year period allows estimates to be calculated for every county (or county-level entity) in the United States.  Previously, these data releases were limited to one-year or three-year averages, and the lower sample sizes for these releases meant that only mid- to high-population counties were included.

“Our data release includes nearly all 3,139 counties in the United States. We excluded 217 counties from our rankings because of their unreliably small sample size, for a final universe of 2,922 counties.”

Arlington County ranked #39 in “median property taxes paid on homes” for the years 2005-2009 ($4,341). By comparison, Hunterdon County, New York New Jersey (apologies, 5/20/11) ranked #1 ($8,216).

Arlington’s median home value during the period was $565,100 while Hunterdon County’s was $452,100. Considering “taxes as a percent of home value” Arlington ranked #1523 while Hunterdon ranked #136.

The third way the Tax Foundation ranked the counties on property tax burden was “taxes as a percent of income.” Arlington’s “median household income” was $125,630, which ranked Arlington #328. By comparison, Hunterdon’s median household income was $112,474, which ranked it #8.

Arlington County’s immediate neighbors in Northern Virginia outranked our “world-class county” on median property taxes paid on homes.”

• Falls Church -- $6,012 (#15)
• Loudoun County -- $4,669 (#32)
• Fairfax County -- $4,371 (#37)
• Arlington County --- $4,341 (#39) (emphasis added)
• Alexandria -- $3,827 (#67)

Sometimes it’s good not to be “world class?” And thanks, Tax Foundation, for all your hard work.

UPDATE (5/24/11):

First, yesterday's Arlington Sun Gazette includes a story about Arlington County's tax burden, which cites comments by ACTA's president, Tim Wise.

Finally, ARLnow.com reported yesterday on the same Tax Foundation study, which includes three good charts showing how nearby local governments compared based on the three tax burden measures in the Tax Foundation study. Following is just one of them: