NJ101.5: Average NJ property tax bill now $9,111 – How your town compares

By Michael Symons

TRENTON — Property taxes went up by $158 for the average New Jersey homeowner last year, according to figures compiled by New Jersey 101.5. The total jump in the tax levy was the most in 10 years.

The average residential property tax bill in 2020 was $9,111, an increase of 1.8%, according to the unofficial data. The state Department of Community Affairs hasn’t released its annual report yet; last year, it was published in early March.

Though the bill is increasing, the yearly statewide change looks good, said Marc Pfeiffer, assistant director of Rutgers University’s Bloustein Local Government Research Center. The increase is less than 2% and has been less than or equal to the increase in the state’s assessed taxable value for the last four years.

Can taxes stay flat?

“An expectation for property taxes to remain flat from year-to-year, the only way that really happens is either the government agency either reduced their cost in some way or they have new construction that adds value and they’re collecting added revenues from those parcels to cover the increase in cost,” Pfeiffer said.

“There’s always going to be increase in cost, if only due to labor costs,” he said. “If you’ve got a police department, police contracts are always going to go up. If you have other employees, there’s always going to be cost of living wages, things like that that have become part of the practice of how government agencies work, both at the county, school and municipal level.”

Click here to read the full report.