Middlesex County Carries Heaviest Property Tax Burden In Mass

Middlesex County ranked No. 41 on a list of the property tax burdens of the 1,822 counties with populations greater than 20,000 between 2006 and 2008.

The ranking was compiled by the Tax Foundation and is based on U.S. Census Bureau data.

The list is dominated by counties in New York and New Jersey, which take up the top 14 places. The county with the greatest property tax burden between 2006 and last year was Westchester County, N.Y., which registered a median real estate taxes paid total of $8,404 for 2006-08.

New England makes its first appearance on the list with Fairfield County, Conn., which at No. 16 paid a median property tax burden of $6,051 during the same three-year period.

At No. 14, Middlesex County paid a median property tax burden of $4,271 and is surrounded on the list by several counties in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Worcester County carried a median property tax burden of $2,964.

The 10 least-burdened counties in the country were all in Louisiana and carried median tax obligations of as little as $117 between 2006 and 2008.