Connecticut Property Taxes In Every Town: Who Pays The Most?

CONNECTICUT — The Nutmeg State's property taxes are among the highest in the nation, but how much you pay for your house or car can vary widely by town.

Real estate taxes are the primary revenue source for Connecticut's towns and cities.

The Torrington Lakeridge Tax District has the highest mill rate in Connecticut at 84.51 mills. It's followed by Hartford at 74.29, Waterbury at 60.21, Hamden at 52.44 and New Britain at 49.50.
Salisbury has the lowest mill rate out of any town at 11. It's followed by Greenwich at 11.59.

Some towns have additional property tax besides the base rate. Such taxes include fire taxes and special districts. Typically, fire district taxes are a few mills for those that have them, but in some instances like West Haven they can be more substantial. The West Haven Allingtown fire district has a mill rate of 11.62 on real estate on top of the city's base tax rate of 34.00, for a total tax burden of 45.62.

One mill is equal to one dollar of tax per $1,000 of assessed property value. In Connecticut, municipalities assess property at 70 percent of its fair market value, according to the Office of Legislative Research. Property is revalued at least once every five years.

Wealthier communities typically have lower mill rates in part because the value of real estate is higher. The median value of owner-occupied housing in Greenwich from 2013 to 2017 was $1.21 million, which would equate to a tax bill of around $9,900. Meanwhile, Waterbury's median value of owner-occupied housing is $128,600 and with a mill rate of 60.21 that would be a tax bill of about $5,400.

The state capped the motor vehicle tax rates in recent years in order to give car owners some relief in higher taxed districts. Unlike real estate, a car's value is the same whether it's registered in Greenwich or Bridgeport, but the taxes will be wildly different.

Below are tax rates for fiscal year 2021-22 compiled by the Office of Policy Management: