The short answer
The average New Jersey homeowner paid $10,340 in property tax in 2025, according to the state Division of Taxation. That is the highest average bill in the country, and it hides a lot of variation. In Camden City the average residential bill was $2,167. In Millburn it was $26,298.
If you only look at one column in the tables below, make it the effective tax rate. The "general tax rate" printed on your bill is calculated on assessed value, and assessed value in many New Jersey towns has little to do with what the house would sell for. More on that in a moment.
All figures are for tax year 2025, the latest the state has published. The 2026 rate tables normally come out early in the following year, and we will update this page when they do.
Tax rates in New Jersey's major towns (2025)
Rates are per $100 of assessed value, which is how New Jersey publishes them. The effective rate is a plain percentage of market value. The last column is the average tax bill on a residential property in that town.
| Town | County | General rate | Effective rate | Avg. residential bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark | Essex | 3.999 | 1.845% | $7,641 |
| Jersey City | Hudson | 2.335 | 1.847% | $11,252 |
| Paterson | Passaic | 5.335 | 2.421% | $10,358 |
| Elizabeth | Union | 2.017 | 2.113% | $9,727 |
| Edison | Middlesex | 5.725 | 2.005% | $10,585 |
| Woodbridge | Middlesex | 12.034 | 2.234% | $9,597 |
| Lakewood | Ocean | 2.462 | 1.378% | $8,976 |
| Toms River | Ocean | 1.902 | 1.523% | $8,528 |
| Hamilton | Mercer | 3.708 | 2.434% | $8,069 |
| Trenton | Mercer | 5.890 | 3.468% | $3,793 |
| Clifton | Passaic | 6.129 | 2.193% | $11,064 |
| Camden | Camden | 3.687 | 2.329% | $2,167 |
| Brick | Ocean | 2.664 | 1.575% | $8,093 |
| Cherry Hill | Camden | 4.348 | 2.598% | $9,869 |
| Passaic | Passaic | 4.258 | 2.113% | $11,750 |
| Union Township | Union | 23.323 | 2.270% | $10,849 |
| Bayonne | Hudson | 2.880 | 1.987% | $11,593 |
| East Orange | Essex | 3.241 | 2.886% | $10,964 |
| Hoboken | Hudson | 1.805 | 1.070% | $9,531 |
| Montclair | Essex | 3.516 | 2.160% | $22,489 |
| Princeton | Mercer | 2.733 | 1.814% | $23,373 |
| Morristown | Morris | 1.760 | 1.681% | $11,181 |
| Hackensack | Bergen | 3.209 | 2.527% | $10,307 |
| Paramus | Bergen | 1.499 | 1.434% | $13,061 |
| Old Bridge | Middlesex | 6.094 | 1.836% | $9,590 |
| Vineland | Cumberland | 3.309 | 2.193% | $5,371 |
| Atlantic City | Atlantic | 3.380 | 2.155% | $4,225 |
| Ridgewood | Bergen | 2.890 | 1.944% | $20,596 |
| Freehold Township | Monmouth | 1.673 | 1.742% | $11,415 |
A few things jump out. Trenton has the highest effective rate on the list (3.468%) but one of the lowest average bills, because homes there are cheap. Princeton and Montclair are the reverse: middling rates, bills above $22,000. The rate tells you how hard a town taxes each dollar of value. The bill tells you what people there actually pay. You need both.
Why the general rate is misleading
New Jersey towns don't reassess every year. Many go a decade or more between revaluations, so the assessed value on your card can be a small fraction of the market value. The town sets its rate on that assessed base, which is why some rates look absurd.
Woodbridge is the clearest example. Its 2025 general rate is 12.034 per $100. The state's figures put Woodbridge assessments at about 18.7% of market value on average. Multiply the two and you get roughly 2.24%, which is the published effective rate of 2.234%. The average Woodbridge home is assessed at $79,752 and sells for about $487,000. Nobody there is paying 12% of their home's value in tax.
Union Township is even more extreme: a general rate of 23.323 but an effective rate of 2.270%. Scotch Plains (12.350) and East Brunswick (12.177) are in the same situation.
The state converts each town's rate to market value using an equalization ratio (the "Director's ratio"). The result is the effective rate, and it's the only rate you can compare across town lines. If you want to estimate a bill for a house you're considering, take the effective rate times a realistic market value, or ask the seller for last year's bill. Our guide to estimating taxes before you buy walks through it.
Highest effective tax rates in New Jersey
South Jersey dominates the top of the list, mostly small boroughs in Camden and Salem counties where the tax base is thin:
| Town | County | Effective rate (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Salem City | Salem | 4.505% |
| Woodlynne | Camden | 4.334% |
| Hi-Nella | Camden | 4.276% |
| Laurel Springs | Camden | 3.793% |
| City of Orange | Essex | 3.765% |
| Penns Grove | Salem | 3.748% |
| Pennsville | Salem | 3.714% |
| Bridgeton | Cumberland | 3.625% |
We left two towns off this table on purpose. Winfield Township (Union County) shows an effective rate above 23% and Audubon Park (Camden County) close to 7%. Both are unusual housing communities with almost no conventionally assessed homes, so their rates don't mean much for a typical buyer.
Lowest effective tax rates in New Jersey
The bottom of the list is almost all shore towns. Expensive second homes create a huge tax base, and seasonal residents don't put many kids in the local schools:
| Town | County | Effective rate (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Avalon | Cape May | 0.348% |
| Loch Arbour | Monmouth | 0.412% |
| Stone Harbor | Cape May | 0.413% |
| Cape May Point | Cape May | 0.416% |
| Walpack | Sussex | 0.429% |
| Deal | Monmouth | 0.435% |
| Spring Lake | Monmouth | 0.444% |
| Sea Isle City | Cape May | 0.453% |
A low rate there doesn't mean a small bill. A $3 million house in Avalon at 0.348% still pays about $10,400 a year, which is right around the state average.
Average tax bill by county
If you're deciding on a region before a town, the county averages are a decent first filter. These are 2025 average residential bills:
| County | Avg. bill | County | Avg. bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen | $14,200 | Middlesex | $9,959 |
| Essex | $14,147 | Mercer | $9,887 |
| Union | $12,536 | Sussex | $8,997 |
| Morris | $12,175 | Warren | $8,209 |
| Somerset | $12,004 | Burlington | $8,197 |
| Hunterdon | $11,717 | Ocean | $8,114 |
| Monmouth | $11,664 | Gloucester | $7,889 |
| Passaic | $11,603 | Camden | $7,766 |
| Hudson | $10,502 | Atlantic | $7,049 |
| Salem | $6,912 | ||
| Cape May | $6,497 | ||
| Cumberland | $5,046 | ||
North Jersey is roughly $4,000 to $9,000 a year more expensive than the southern counties, and that holds up even after you account for home prices.
What you can do about your bill
You can't change your town's rate, but you can change what you pay:
- File the PAS-1 by November 2, 2026. One form covers ANCHOR, the Senior Freeze and Stay NJ. Most homeowners under 65 were filed automatically this year, but if you're 65 or older you have to file yourself. Our PAS-1 guide goes line by line, and the NJ relief overview explains how the three programs stack.
- Check your assessment. Divide your assessed value by your town's equalization ratio. If the result is well above what your home would sell for, you may have an appeal. The deadline is April 1 (May 1 in a town that just finished a revaluation), and January 15 in Burlington, Gloucester and Monmouth counties. See how to appeal your assessment.
- Claim the deductions you qualify for. The $250 senior/disabled deduction and the $250 veterans deduction are small but they're annual, and the 100% disabled veteran exemption wipes out the bill entirely. Details are in our veterans guide.
Where these numbers come from
General and effective rates are from the NJ Division of Taxation's 2025 General Tax Rates by County and Municipality. Average bills come from the Division's 2025 Average Residential Property Tax statistics, which cover about 2.6 million residential properties. You'll see a slightly different statewide figure ($10,570) in some news coverage. We use $10,340 because that's what the official file shows. For ZIP-level detail on any town, start from our New Jersey page.