Average Property Tax in California
One number, then the reasons it does not apply to you. The State Board of Equalization reports every county's total single-family assessed value and its average tax rate; weighting those by the number of homes gives a statewide average bill. The spread around it is enormous, because Proposition 13 taxes each home on the price it last sold for, so this page also shows how far assessed values sit below market values and points to the county and city tables for your own area.
Quick answer
The average California single-family home is assessed at about $602,307 and pays about $6,932 a year in property tax, roughly $578 a month, at an average rate of 1.15% of assessed value (47 counties reporting, 2025 roll, BOE average rates 2024-25). The median county's average bill is $4,327. These are averages of existing owners' Proposition 13 values: a buyer pays about 1.10% of the purchase price. A $1,000,000 house bought today pays about $11,000 a year at the median county rate, from about $10,000 in the lowest-rate county to $12,480 in the highest, before Mello-Roos and parcel taxes. The average leaves out 11 counties whose single-family value the BOE table does not break out (Alpine, Glenn, Imperial, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Plumas, Santa Barbara, Trinity); Marin and Santa Barbara are among them, so the statewide figure runs a little low.
Where the average comes from
| Measure | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Average single-family assessed value | $602,307 | BOE Table E1, 2025; 47 counties, 7,717,680 single-family parcels |
| Average rate, weighted by homes | 1.15% | BOE county average rates 2024-25 (1% levy plus voter-approved debt) |
| Average annual bill | $6,932 | Assessed value × rate, weighted by homes |
| Average monthly | $578 | Annual ÷ 12 |
| Median county rate | 1.10% | Middle of all 58 counties, 2024-25 |
| Median county's average bill | $4,327 | Middle of the 47 counties with a bill |
Ad-valorem tax only; Mello-Roos, parcel taxes and direct assessments are extra, and the Homeowners' Exemption is not subtracted. Counties the BOE leaves blank for single-family totals are not in the weighting.
The spread: highest and lowest county averages
Rates vary little between counties; assessed values vary tenfold. The five highest and five lowest average bills (the full 58-county table, with every county's rate and average value, is on the rate page):
| County | Average single-family assessed value | Average rate | Average annual bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo | $1,225,390 | 1.12% | $13,761 |
| Santa Clara | $1,087,497 | 1.19% | $12,974 |
| San Francisco | $1,014,200 | 1.17% | $11,907 |
| Napa | $849,419 | 1.10% | $9,378 |
| Alameda | $731,914 | 1.22% | $8,929 |
| Colusa | $227,123 | 1.10% | $2,489 |
| Sierra | $244,896 | 1.00% | $2,449 |
| Siskiyou | $222,925 | 1.04% | $2,330 |
| Tehama | $201,181 | 1.05% | $2,122 |
| Modoc | $92,464 | 1.00% | $925 |
Why the average is below what a buyer pays
Proposition 13 sets a home's taxable value at its purchase price and lets it grow at most 2% a year. In the Los Angeles and Sacramento County cities where we can pair the assessor's median assessed value with the Census Bureau's median market value, the typical home is assessed about 38% below its market value (98 cities). So the effective rate on what homes are actually worth is well under the nominal rate, and a new buyer, taxed on the full price, pays far more than the neighbour who bought in 1995. The Prop 13 lock-in page shows how old each city's tax base is; the assessed-versus-market page has every paired city. Six of the largest:
| City | Median market value (ACS) | Median assessed value (roll) | Gap | Typical rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradbury (Los Angeles) | $1,914,100 | $1,478,000 | 23% | 1.26% |
| Santa Monica (Los Angeles) | $1,810,200 | $1,445,000 | 20% | 1.20% |
| Rolling Hills Estates (Los Angeles) | $1,602,300 | $2,205,000 | -38% | 1.09% |
| South Pasadena (Los Angeles) | $1,545,100 | $832,000 | 46% | 1.10% |
| Rancho Palos Verdes (Los Angeles) | $1,541,400 | $1,016,000 | 34% | 1.09% |
| El Segundo (Los Angeles) | $1,521,600 | $871,000 | 43% | 1.11% |
Your city, your county, your own estimate
- Property tax by city: typical rate and median bill for every California city we cover, sortable, each linked to its page.
- Rate by county: all 58 counties' average rates, where the dollar goes, and the average value and bill table.
- The calculator: your own estimate from purchase price and year, with the Homeowners' Exemption if you live there.
- What else is on the bill: the Mello-Roos, parcel-tax and direct-assessment lines the averages leave out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is property tax on a $1 million house in California?
About $11,000 a year for a buyer, at the median county rate of 1.10% of the purchase price, and between $10,000 and $12,480 depending on the county (2024-25 BOE average rates). Add any Mello-Roos special tax and parcel taxes, which are flat amounts per parcel. In the first year a supplemental bill covers the months between the purchase and the next July 1. An existing owner who bought years ago pays far less: Proposition 13 taxes the price last paid, grown at most 2% a year.
What is the average property tax in California?
About $6,932 a year for a single-family home, or roughly $578 a month. That is the State Board of Equalization's average single-family assessed value ($602,307 in 2025) multiplied by each county's average rate, weighted by the number of homes across the 47 counties that report single-family totals. It is an average of existing owners' bills under Proposition 13, so most recent buyers pay more and most long-time owners pay less.
What is the average property tax rate in California?
About 1.15% of assessed value when weighted by homes, and 1.10% for the median county. The 1% Proposition 13 levy is the floor; voter-approved debt adds the rest, from about 1.00% in the lowest county to 1.25% in the highest. Mello-Roos and parcel taxes come on top and are not in these rates.
Why is the average so much lower than what I would pay on a new purchase?
Because Proposition 13 taxes each home on the price it last sold for, grown at most 2% a year. Across the Los Angeles and Sacramento County cities where we can pair assessor rolls with Census market values, the typical home's assessed value sits about 38% below its market value. A buyer starts at the purchase price: a $900,000 purchase at 1.10% is about $9,900 a year before Mello-Roos and parcel taxes.
Is this a median or a mean?
A mean. The BOE publishes each county's total single-family assessed value and parcel count, so the figure is the average assessed value times the average rate. Means are pulled up by high-value homes; the by-city table uses medians from county rolls instead, which is why a city's median bill is usually below its county's average.
Which counties have the highest and lowest average bills?
Highest: San Mateo ($13,761), Santa Clara ($12,974), San Francisco ($11,907). Lowest: Modoc ($925), Tehama ($2,122), Siskiyou ($2,330). The spread comes almost entirely from assessed values, not rates: rates run only about 1.00% to 1.25% while average assessed values run from under $100,000 to over $1.2 million.
Does the average include Mello-Roos, parcel taxes and the Homeowners' Exemption?
No. It is the ad-valorem tax only: assessed value times the county average rate. Mello-Roos special taxes, school parcel taxes and fixed direct assessments are billed on top and can add hundreds to thousands of dollars in newer communities; the $7,000 Homeowners' Exemption, which most owner-occupants claim, takes about $70 to $90 off.
Primary sources: California State Board of Equalization, county average property tax rates (assessment year 2024-25) · California State Board of Equalization, property taxes. Check a figure against the document before relying on it. Last reviewed October 2026.
Learn More
Sources: California State Board of Equalization — Table E1 (secured residential assessed value by county) (2025); State Board of Equalization county average property tax rates (2024-25); U.S. Census Bureau ACS owner-occupied median home values and the Los Angeles and Sacramento County assessor rolls for the assessed-versus-market pairing. Averages are means of existing owners' Proposition 13 assessed values, not medians and not market prices; they exclude Mello-Roos, parcel taxes, direct assessments and exemptions. Educational information, not tax advice.