Property tax in Essex County, Massachusetts

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Essex County, Massachusetts is $6,430 a year, which is about 1.04% of the county's median home value of $619,100. That effective rate is lower than the typical Massachusetts county (1.06%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Essex County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Essex County's average effective rate of 1.04% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $6,439 / year

Property tax in Essex County at a glance

Essex County, Massachusetts property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$6,430
Median home value	$619,100
Effective tax rate	1.04%
Typical Massachusetts county rate	1.06%
National median county rate	0.81%

Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

How does Essex County compare in Massachusetts?

Among Massachusetts's 14 counties, Essex County has the 9th highest effective property-tax rate: 8 rank higher and 5 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Massachusetts. Nationally, it ranks 1019th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Massachusetts county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Essex County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Essex County's 198,838 owner-occupied homes, 87.3% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 92.2% pay at least $2,000, and 1.5% pay under $800. Another 2.5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Essex County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	3,022	1.5%
$800 to $1,499	3,945	2%
$1,500 to $1,999	3,618	1.8%
$2,000 to $2,999	9,766	4.9%
$3,000 or more	173,538	87.3%
No property tax paid	4,949	2.5%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $6,371 and owners without one pay $6,577. That is within 10% either way, so in Essex County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

How does the Essex County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $6,430 is about 4.7% of the median income of Essex County homeowner households, $137,990 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 63.5% of Essex County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.

Have property taxes gone up in Essex County?

Yes. The median bill went from $5,114 in 2015-2019 to $6,430 in 2020-2024, a 25.7% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 51%, from $409,900 to $619,100. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.

Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.

Property tax in counties next to Essex County

Essex County borders 4 counties, 2 of them across the state line.

Essex County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Hillsborough County, NH	1.66%	$6,999	$421,100
Rockingham County, NH	1.58%	$7,839	$497,500
Essex County, MA (this county)	1.04%	$6,430	$619,100
Middlesex County, MA	1.03%	$7,501	$727,800
Suffolk County, MA	0.66%	$4,649	$705,800

How is a home assessed in Essex County?

Massachusetts assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Essex County included. How Massachusetts assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Essex County?

Not statewide. A Massachusetts community may adopt a residential exemption of up to 35% of the average residential assessed value on a principal residence; the homestead declaration protects equity from creditors and is not a tax break. That is the Massachusetts rule, and it applies in Essex County. Massachusetts's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Essex County?

Massachusetts communities use one of three billing systems. On quarterly billing, installments are due August 1, November 1, February 1 and May 1. On semi-annual preliminary billing, the preliminary bill is due October 1 (or November 1, or 30 days after mailing if later, when it is mailed after August 1) and the actual bill is due April 1. On standard semi-annual billing, the first half is due November 1 and the rest May 1; if the bill is mailed after October 1, payment is due 30 days after mailing instead. Check which system your city or town uses.

Massachusetts splits the bill into 4 installments. That is the Massachusetts rule. Essex County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Essex County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the Board of Assessors, then the Appellate Tax Board. The filing deadline is typically the first-installment payment due date (February 1 where billing is quarterly). That is the Massachusetts rule; Essex County sets the exact dates and forms. The Massachusetts appeal process step by step.

Massachusetts rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Massachusetts page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Essex County, Massachusetts: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.