Burlington County's Average Tax Rate Lowest In State: Officials

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County has the lowest average county taxes in the state, according to information provided by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA).

“Responsible government means being good stewards with our residents’ tax dollars, and this property tax data reflects the job we’ve done managing our county finances and making sure we don’t overburden our taxpayers,” Burlington County Board of County Commissioners Director Felicia Hopson said. “I’m proud of our county’s fiscal record, but I’m even prouder that we managed them while still responding to our residents’ needs, especially with all the challenges we faced from COVID-19.”

The county portion of the tax bill for a home assessed at the county average of $239,003 was $1,026, which was the lowest among all of New Jersey’s 21 counties, according to the DCA.

Burlington County’s 2019 average county tax bill of $1,007 was also the lowest in the state that year, according to the DCA data.

County taxes made up 14.4 percent of the total tax bill in both years. School taxes accounted for 64.6 percent of the tax bill and municipal taxes accounted for 21 percent.

The average total property tax bill in Burlington County last year, which includes county taxes and all school and municipal taxes, was $7,116, an increase of 1.5% from the $7,008 average in 2019.

The 1.5 percent increase in Burlington County’s average total tax bill was the fourth lowest in the state and the lowest among neighboring counties in South Jersey. Ocean’s average total tax bill rose 3 percent, Mercer’s rose 1.9 percent, Gloucester County rose 2.1 percent and Camden and Atlantic rose 1.6 percent.

Hopson said the DCA statistics reflect the county’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and assisting residents and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

Burlington County budgeted over $2 million in expenses related to the coronavirus pandemic in its 2020 spending plan, while other counties deferred budgeting pandemic-related expenses until 2021, county officials said. Hopson noted that the county’s total operating budget was still less than it was a decade earlier.

“Our operating budget in 2020 was 7 percent less than the 2010 operating budget. That’s remarkable, especially considering we budgeted substantial sums for our COVID-19 response to make sure we have those resources available,” Hopson said. “We’re not declaring victory; every year brings more challenges, but this is what responsible government does. We’ve kept close watch on our financial bottom lines while still showing compassion and empathy for the struggles our residents face every day, and we found ways to help them overcome those challenges.”

Burlington County was one of the first counties in the state to set up a coronavirus testing program, and it is now partnering with the state and Virtua Health to operate a COVID Vaccine Mega-Site at the Moorestown Mall. Read more here: NJ’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mega-Site Opens At Moorestown Mall

As of Friday morning, more than 50,000 people have been vaccinated at the mega-site.