Highest and Lowest Property Tax Rates in Los Angeles County, by City
Every Los Angeles County property owner pays the same 1% Proposition 13 base rate — but on top of that, each city's voters approve their own bonds (schools, community colleges, cities, and special districts), and that debt is what makes the total ad-valorem rate vary. Across the county's 87 incorporated cities, the typical rate runs from about 1.063% (Hermosa Beach) to 1.589% (Compton).
The 3 highest-rate cities
The top of the list is dominated by working- and middle-class cities in the county's central and Antelope Valley areas:
- Compton — about 1.589%. The highest ad-valorem rate among LA's cities. A high rate here reflects a heavier load of voter-approved school and municipal debt spread over a comparatively modest assessed-value base — the debt-service rate is debt divided by taxable value, so a smaller tax base pushes the rate up.
- Bell — about 1.451%. A small, densely built city where overlapping school and community-college bond measures land on a limited residential tax base.
- Palmdale — about 1.399%. In the fast-growing Antelope Valley, newer development came with the school and infrastructure bonds that fund it, lifting the ad-valorem rate above the county norm.
The common thread isn't wealth — it's how much bond debt has been approved relative to the value it's levied against.
The 3 lowest-rate cities
At the other end sit some of the county's highest-value communities:
- Hermosa Beach — about 1.063%, close to the 1% floor. When a city's homes are assessed at a great deal, the same bond can be repaid with a much thinner rate — and coastal, built-out cities like this one tend to carry relatively little new bond debt.
- San Marino — about 1.075%. A high-value, low-turnover city: a large tax base and modest debt keep the rate near the minimum.
- La Canada Flintridge — about 1.075%. Same story — an affluent tax base absorbs school and municipal debt at a low rate.
A high rate doesn't mean a high bill
This is the part that surprises people. Your bill is the rate times your assessed value, and value usually wins. A typical single-family home in Hermosa Beach (one of the lowest rates, 1.063%) is assessed high enough that its typical bill is around $12,079 — far more than a typical bill near $4,132 in Compton, despite Compton's much higher 1.589% rate. If you want your own number, the LA County calculator uses your city or ZIP.
All 87 LA County cities, ranked by rate
Every incorporated city with enough data, highest rate first. Search to jump to yours.
Showing 87 of 87.
| # | City | Ad-valorem rate | Typical bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Compton | 1.589% | $4,132 |
| 2 | Bell | 1.451% | $4,353 |
| 3 | Palmdale | 1.399% | $4,308 |
| 4 | Huntington Park | 1.385% | $4,100 |
| 5 | El Monte | 1.361% | $4,888 |
| 6 | Lynwood | 1.358% | $3,937 |
| 7 | San Fernando | 1.344% | $4,247 |
| 8 | San Gabriel | 1.339% | $7,471 |
| 9 | Montebello | 1.335% | $5,048 |
| 10 | Monrovia | 1.285% | $7,093 |
| 11 | Inglewood | 1.281% | $4,137 |
| 12 | Maywood | 1.275% | $3,443 |
| 13 | Monterey Park | 1.274% | $5,772 |
| 14 | Lakewood | 1.269% | $5,787 |
| 15 | Long Beach | 1.269% | $5,939 |
| 16 | Signal Hill | 1.269% | $9,328 |
| 17 | Bradbury | 1.263% | $18,670 |
| 18 | Duarte | 1.263% | $4,939 |
| 19 | Avalon | 1.262% | $8,040 |
| 20 | Pomona | 1.252% | $4,019 |
| 21 | Pico Rivera | 1.230% | $3,922 |
| 22 | Lawndale | 1.221% | $4,871 |
| 23 | South El Monte | 1.217% | $4,028 |
| 24 | Hawthorne | 1.212% | $5,005 |
| 25 | Malibu | 1.207% | $22,675 |
| 26 | Paramount | 1.206% | $3,837 |
| 27 | Santa Monica | 1.204% | $17,395 |
| 28 | Lancaster | 1.203% | $3,561 |
| 29 | Beverly Hills | 1.199% | $33,535 |
| 30 | Downey | 1.193% | $5,762 |
| 31 | La Mirada | 1.191% | $5,669 |
| 32 | Norwalk | 1.191% | $4,180 |
| 33 | Los Angeles | 1.187% | $6,258 |
| 34 | Santa Clarita | 1.186% | $6,891 |
| 35 | Alhambra | 1.183% | $5,098 |
| 36 | Santa Fe Springs | 1.182% | $4,196 |
| 37 | Baldwin Park | 1.177% | $3,637 |
| 38 | Covina | 1.176% | $4,926 |
| 39 | Irwindale | 1.176% | $2,199 |
| 40 | Carson | 1.175% | $4,125 |
| 41 | Cudahy | 1.175% | $3,690 |
| 42 | Gardena | 1.175% | $4,360 |
| 43 | Lomita | 1.175% | $6,757 |
| 44 | South Gate | 1.175% | $3,713 |
| 45 | West Hollywood | 1.175% | $14,042 |
| 46 | Industry | 1.173% | $3,836 |
| 47 | Diamond Bar | 1.171% | $6,991 |
| 48 | Walnut | 1.171% | $7,366 |
| 49 | Whittier | 1.167% | $4,857 |
| 50 | Azusa | 1.165% | $4,332 |
| 51 | Rosemead | 1.161% | $4,770 |
| 52 | La Puente | 1.159% | $3,848 |
| 53 | West Covina | 1.144% | $4,906 |
| 54 | Culver City | 1.139% | $7,824 |
| 55 | Bell Gardens | 1.137% | $3,322 |
| 56 | Commerce | 1.137% | $3,276 |
| 57 | Artesia | 1.136% | $4,486 |
| 58 | Cerritos | 1.136% | $5,712 |
| 59 | Hawaiian Gardens | 1.136% | $3,134 |
| 60 | Agoura Hills | 1.134% | $8,813 |
| 61 | Calabasas | 1.134% | $13,247 |
| 62 | Hidden Hills | 1.134% | $36,034 |
| 63 | Westlake Village | 1.134% | $10,843 |
| 64 | La Verne | 1.133% | $5,882 |
| 65 | San Dimas | 1.133% | $5,746 |
| 66 | Arcadia | 1.129% | $10,185 |
| 67 | Claremont | 1.126% | $6,248 |
| 68 | Redondo Beach | 1.123% | $8,768 |
| 69 | La Habra Heights | 1.122% | $9,922 |
| 70 | Glendora | 1.121% | $5,852 |
| 71 | Pasadena | 1.121% | $7,329 |
| 72 | Temple City | 1.118% | $6,393 |
| 73 | Bellflower | 1.117% | $4,581 |
| 74 | Sierra Madre | 1.115% | $8,377 |
| 75 | El Segundo | 1.109% | $9,661 |
| 76 | Manhattan Beach | 1.108% | $16,604 |
| 77 | Burbank | 1.108% | $6,803 |
| 78 | Torrance | 1.103% | $6,697 |
| 79 | South Pasadena | 1.100% | $9,149 |
| 80 | Palos Verdes Estates | 1.090% | $18,273 |
| 81 | Rancho Palos Verdes | 1.090% | $11,070 |
| 82 | Rolling Hills | 1.090% | $28,504 |
| 83 | Rolling Hills Estates | 1.090% | $24,026 |
| 84 | Glendale | 1.085% | $7,706 |
| 85 | La Canada Flintridge | 1.075% | $13,926 |
| 86 | San Marino | 1.075% | $16,870 |
| 87 | Hermosa Beach | 1.063% | $12,079 |
Rate is the area's typical (median) ad-valorem rate — the 1% base plus voter-approved debt — not your exact parcel's Tax Rate Area, and it excludes Mello-Roos and fixed direct assessments. “Typical bill” is for an existing single-family owner at that rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which LA County city has the highest property tax rate?
By average ad-valorem rate, Compton is near the top at about 1.589%, followed by Bell (~1.451%) and Palmdale (~1.399%). These are the 1% Proposition 13 base plus voter-approved debt; a higher rate means more bond debt relative to the city's assessed-value base.
Which LA County city has the lowest property tax rate?
Hermosa Beach is near the bottom at about 1.063%, with San Marino and La Canada Flintridge close behind (~1.075%). High-value cities can service the same bonds at a thinner rate because the debt is spread over a much larger tax base.
Does a higher tax rate mean a higher property tax bill?
No — the bill is the rate times your assessed value, and value usually dominates. Hermosa Beach has one of the lowest rates but a high typical bill because homes there are assessed at much more, while a higher-rate city with lower home values often has a smaller bill. Rate and bill are different questions.
Do these rates include Mello-Roos?
No. These are ad-valorem rates only (the 1% base plus voter-approved debt). Mello-Roos / CFD special taxes and fixed direct assessments are billed separately and are not in this ranking. Your parcel's exact rate also depends on its Tax Rate Area.
Learn More
Rates are the area-typical (median) ad-valorem rate from the LA County Auditor-Controller Tax Rate Area rates (FY 2025/2026), aggregated by city from the 2025 Assessor roll. They exclude Mello-Roos and fixed direct assessments, and your parcel's exact Tax Rate Area may differ. Educational information, not an official bill.