The numbers that matter
Massachusetts towns quote property tax as dollars per $1,000 of assessed value. A residential rate of $11.63 means a home assessed at $500,000 owes $5,815 a year, before any exemptions.
In fiscal year 2026 (July 2025 to June 2026), the average single-family tax bill statewide was $8,113, up from $7,730 the year before, according to the Division of Local Services. Residential rates ranged from $2.18 in Hancock to $20.35 in Westhampton among the 343 communities certified by January.
Rates for FY2027 are being set right now. Most cities hold their classification hearings in November and December, and we'll update this page when the new rates are certified.
FY2026 tax rates in Massachusetts cities
Rates are per $1,000 of assessed value. "Commercial" is the rate for commercial, industrial and personal property. The average bill is for a single-family home.
| City / town | Residential | Commercial | Avg. single-family bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | $12.40 | $26.96 | $7,627 |
| Worcester | $13.28 | $29.06 | $5,446 |
| Springfield | $15.46 | $34.35 | $4,254 |
| Cambridge | $6.67 | $14.07 | $13,680 |
| Lowell | $11.35 | $22.04 | $5,844 |
| Brockton | $11.63 | $23.23 | $5,591 |
| Quincy | $11.78 | $23.53 | $8,250 |
| Lynn | $10.30 | $19.64 | $6,031 |
| New Bedford | $10.95 | $21.85 | $4,653 |
| Fall River | $11.48 | $23.58 | $4,651 |
| Newton | $9.69 | $18.06 | $17,077 |
| Somerville | $10.98 | $18.94 | $9,376 |
| Lawrence | $8.64 | $18.06 | $4,140 |
| Framingham | $11.83 | $23.97 | $8,061 |
| Waltham | $10.32 | $22.18 | $5,189 |
| Haverhill | $10.61 | $19.17 | $5,962 |
| Malden | $11.40 | $17.08 | $4,952 |
| Medford | $8.63 | $16.68 | $7,427 |
| Taunton | $11.14 | $23.73 | $5,540 |
| Plymouth | $12.55 | $12.55 | $7,731 |
| Weymouth | $10.12 | $15.85 | $6,208 |
| Revere | $8.94 | $17.74 | $5,574 |
| Brookline | $10.24 | $17.16 | $26,237 |
| Wellesley | $10.17 | $10.17 | $20,551 |
| Lexington | $12.31 | $24.18 | $20,394 |
| Nantucket | $3.12 | $5.29 | $9,904 |
Look at Springfield and Brookline side by side. Springfield has the highest residential rate on the list and one of the lowest average bills. Brookline's rate is lower than Brockton's, and its average bill is almost five times larger. In Massachusetts the rate mostly reflects how much property a town has to tax, not how expensive the town is to live in.
Brockton's FY2026 rate
Brockton's residential rate for FY2026 is $11.63 per $1,000, down from $12.11 in FY2025. The commercial rate is $23.23, down from $24.20.
The rate dropped but bills went up. The average single-family home in Brockton was valued at about $480,700 for FY2026, against $444,400 the year before, so the average bill rose from $5,381 to about $5,591. That's the normal pattern in Massachusetts right now. Values rise faster than budgets, the rate falls, and bills still climb by the 2.5% or so the town is allowed to add.
A few other details if you own in Brockton:
- The city shifts the maximum allowed share onto businesses (175% of their share of value), which keeps the residential rate lower than it would be with a single rate.
- Brockton has never adopted the residential exemption, so owner-occupants and landlords pay the same rate.
- For perspective, Brockton's residential rate peaked at $18.15 in FY2015, when home values were much lower.
Why Boston's rate overstates what owners pay
About 15 Massachusetts communities, including Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline and Nantucket, offer a residential exemption. If the home is your primary residence, a fixed chunk of value comes off your assessment before the rate is applied. To pay for it, the town raises the rate on everyone, so landlords and second-home owners pay more and owner-occupants pay less.
In Boston the FY2026 exemption is worth $4,353.74 off the bill for an owner-occupant. On a $750,000 condo, that's the difference between a $9,300 bill and about $4,950. In Cambridge the exemption takes $510,208 off the assessed value and saves about $3,400. Somerville's is the largest in the state, worth up to $4,578.
So if you're comparing Boston with a suburb, the published rate overstates what you'd pay as an owner-occupant. You have to apply for the exemption. Boston mails the application with the third-quarter bill.
Highest and lowest rates in the state
The highest FY2026 residential rates are almost all in western Massachusetts, in small towns with modest home values and little commercial property. Westhampton ($20.35) is the highest among the communities certified by January. Wendell, East Longmeadow, Heath and Longmeadow are all above $19.
The lowest rates are the Berkshires' smallest towns and the islands: Hancock ($2.18), Chilmark ($2.28), Edgartown ($2.48) and Nantucket ($3.12). Vacation homes give these places a huge tax base compared with what the town spends.
Bills tell a different story. These were the highest average single-family bills in FY2026:
| Town | Avg. single-family bill |
|---|---|
| Weston | $26,313 |
| Brookline | $26,237 |
| Lincoln | $20,738 |
| Wellesley | $20,551 |
| Concord | $20,517 |
| Lexington | $20,394 |
| Sherborn | $20,018 |
| Belmont | $19,579 |
Weston's rate is only $10.88. Westhampton, with the highest rate in the state, has an average bill of $7,149. At the bottom, Hancock's average single-family bill is $835.
How Proposition 2½ limits your bill
Massachusetts towns can't raise whatever they want. Under Proposition 2½, a town's total levy can grow by 2.5% a year plus new construction. Anything more needs voters to approve an override or a debt exclusion. Arlington passed a $14.8 million override in March 2026, which added about $1,030 to the average single-family bill.
The cap applies to the town's total levy, not your individual bill. If your home's value rises faster than the town average, your share goes up. That's when an abatement can help.
Abatements and senior relief
- Abatement deadline: you file with the board of assessors by the due date of the first actual bill (the third-quarter bill), which is usually February 1 in quarterly-billing towns. For FY2026 that was February 2, 2026. Keep paying while you wait. Filing doesn't pause the bill. Our appeal guide covers the evidence that works.
- Senior Circuit Breaker: a state income tax credit of up to $2,820 for tax year 2025 if you're 65+ and your property tax (plus half your water and sewer bill) is more than 10% of your income. Income limits are $75,000 single, $94,000 head of household and $112,000 joint, and your home's assessed value must be $1,298,000 or less. It's refundable, so you get it even if you owe no income tax.
- Clause 41C exemption: a local exemption for low-income, low-asset seniors. The default age is 70, but many towns have lowered it to 65, and the amount and limits vary a lot. Ask your assessor.
- Senior work-off: many towns let residents 60+ work for the town and credit up to $2,000 a year against their bill.
For more on these programs and how they compare with other states, see our senior exemption guide.
Sources
Statewide figures, the high and low rates and the average single-family bills come from the Massachusetts Division of Local Services (FY2026 tax rates, levies and average single-family tax bill reports). City rates come from each city's assessor or classification hearing documents. The residential exemption figures are from Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. For ZIP-level data on any community, start at our Massachusetts page.