Amanda OglesbyAsbury Park Press
New Jersey property taxes remain among the most expensive of any state in the nation, but some towns illustrate the point more than others.
In 2022, the average total property tax bill for a New Jersey homeowner — including municipal, school and county taxes — averaged $8,096, up 124% from $3,610 from 2015.
But many municipalities far exceeded that average, despite recent efforts in Trenton to control property tax increases.
New Jersey law limits municipal, county and school tax levy increases to no more than 2% each year, though some expenses — like increased costs for pensions and health benefits — can exceed the cap.
Despite this state-mandated limit on spending, inflation continues to drive up the cost of labor, supplies and employee benefits for state, county and local workers.
Between April 2022, and April 2023, inflation raised prices 3.7% across the New York-New Jersey region, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Steep increases in the costs of public employee health insurance, pensions and salaries are making matters worse, said Regina M. Egea, president of Garden State Initiative, an organization that is critical of New Jersey's high taxes.
"What we're experiencing, unlike the rest of the country, is health benefit costs that are escalating over 20% for those in the health benefit plans with the state," Egea said. "I think that's certainly a very large component of why taxes continue to escalate, and that's policy driven."
The towns with the highest average property tax bills in New Jersey are predominantly in Bergen and Essex counties, through three municipalities at the Jersey Shore also made the top 14: Rumson, Deal and Mantoloking.
Driven by salary increases to teachers, police officers and other types of public workers, "taxes are going up faster in the last four years than they were going up the prior four years," said Egea.
Here are the 14 highest average tax bills in New Jersey for 2022:
1. Millburn
The average annual property tax bill in Millburn Township, in Essex County, was $24,623 in 2022. That's up 3.75% over the last five years.
2. Demarest
The average annual property tax bill in Demarest Borough, in Bergen County, was $22,636 in 2022. That's up 18.28% over the last five years.
3. Tenafly
The average annual property tax bill in Tenafly Borough, in Bergen County, was $22,411 in 2022. That's up 9.68% over the last five years.
4. Rumson
The average annual property tax bill in Rumson Borough, in Monmouth County, was $22,093 in 2022. That's up 13% over the last five years.
5. Glen Ridge
The average annual property tax bill in Glen Ridge Borough, in Essex County, was $22,059 in 2022. That's up 12.21% over the last five years.
6. Mountain Lakes
The average annual property tax bill in Mountain Lakes Borough, in Morris County, was $21,861 in 2022. That's up 9.02% over the last five years.
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7. Alpine
The average annual property tax bill in Alpine Borough, in Bergen County, was $21,169 in 2022. That's down -3.48% over the last five years.
8. Montclair
The average annual property tax bill in Montclair Township, in Essex County, was $20,775 in 2022. That's up 8.97% over the last five years.
9. South Orange
The average annual property tax bill in South Orange Village, in Essex County, was $20,496 in 2022. That's up 14.66% over the last five years.
10. Essex Fells
The average annual property tax bill in Essex Fells Township, in Essex County, was $20,420 in 2022. That's up 4.74% over the last five years.
11. Deal
The average annual property tax bill in Deal Borough, in Monmouth County, was $20,197 in 2022. That's up 23.88% over the last five years.
12. Mendham
The average annual property tax bill in Mendham Township, in Morris County, was $19,850 in 2022. That's up 5.86% over the last five years.
13. Mantoloking
The average annual property tax bill in Mantoloking Borough, in Ocean County, was $19,330 in 2022. That's up 10.95% over the last five years.
Honorable Mention: Tavistock
The average annual property tax bill in Tavistock Borough, in Camden County, was $29,996 in 2022. This is technically the highest average tax bill in New Jersey. However, according to the U.S. Census, Tavistock only has seven residents and towns with fewer than 200 residents were excluded from this analysis due to small sample size.
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.
