From Mark Slade:
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Benjamin Franklin, famously stated, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
As a Maplewood resident we all believe our property taxes to be “too high,” and even onerous for many of our current residents, let alone negatively impacting potential buyers, as it pertains to affordability.
Well, this week, I read an article: “Highest Property Taxes in NJ: 18 Towns Where the “Average” Annual Bill Is Over $20k, written by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson and published 3/18/25.
Excerpting from her article, here are the Top 5 Towns paying the highest average Property Tax:
- Tavistock Borough, Camden: Average residential property value of $2,640,533 and average annual property taxes of $37,908.
- Millburn Township, Essex: Average residential property value of $1,282,294 and average annual property taxes of $25,407.
- Demarest Borough, Bergen: Average residential property value of $809,319 and average annual property taxes of $24,736.
- Mantoloking Borough, Ocean: Average residential property value of $2,849,298 and average annual property taxes of $24,422.
- Tenafly Borough, Bergen: Average residential property value of $839,028 and average annual property taxes of $23,833.
But, I don’t look at the above in the same way as the author, because $20,000 in taxes relative to a $500,000 average residential property value is far more aggressive and financially cumbersome when compared to the same $20,000 in taxes someone might be paying relative to an average property value that is 2 to 3 times that value.
So, I went back and created the below chart to show the actual tax rates as they calculate compared to the property value*, here is the entirety of Essex County, and I’m happy to report that Maplewood was actually one of the lower taxed towns, percentage-wise:
*The above data pulled from Department of Community Affairs from the Official Site of The State of New Jersey–https://www.nj.gov/dca/dlgs/resources/Property_Tax_info.shtml
Mark Slade Keller Williams 917.797.5059 Good Homes Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/West Orange area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield–by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45 minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.
