Property Taxes Keep Rising In Maplewood And South Orange: See Latest 5-Year Breakdown

SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The average homeowner is paying more than $19,000 in property taxes in Maplewood, and more than $22,000 in South Orange, new state data shows.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs recently released updated tax tables for each municipality in the state. Here are the latest numbers:

MAPLEWOOD

In 2025, the average Maplewood resident paid $19,378 in property taxes on a home valued at $807,155 (not including credits and deductions).

Here are the previous five years for comparison:

• 2024 – $18,613 in taxes on a home valued at $804,789
• 2023 – $18,266 in taxes on a home valued at $505,213
• 2022 – $17,744 in taxes on a home valued at $503,300
• 2021 – $17,143 in taxes on a home valued at $501,458
• 2020 – $16,632 in taxes on a home valued at $500,721

SOUTH ORANGE

In 2025, the average South Orange resident paid $22,717 in property taxes on a home valued at $879,273 (not including credits and deductions).

Here are the previous five years for comparison:

• 2024 – $22,057 in taxes on a home valued at $879,423
• 2023 – $21,287 in taxes on a home valued at $585,351
• 2022 – $20,496 in taxes on a home valued at $584,474
• 2021 – $19,759 in taxes on a home valued at $583,852
• 2020 – $19,147 in taxes on a home valued at $583,869

Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Here’s how that played out in both towns for 2025, according to state data (percentages rounded up):

MAPLEWOOD

• School – 56.5%
• Municipal – 29%
• County – 14.5%

SOUTH ORANGE

• School – 57.3%
• Municipal – 28.4%
• County – 14.3%

PROPERTY, POLITICS AND TAX RELIEF

Taxes and home values have gone up steadily throughout New Jersey over the past decade, regardless of what political party is in power. Statewide, the average tax bill topped $10,000 for the second time last year.

When former Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the state Legislature reached a historic deal for a 2 percent cap in 2011, the average property tax bill in New Jersey was at $7,759 for a home valued at $299,014. By the time Christie left office, the average property tax payment had risen by 13 percent.

The average tax bill in New Jersey continued to rise under former Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat. When Murphy first took office in 2018, the average tax bill stood at $8,767. In 2025, the average bill reached $10,570 – a 20.5 percent increase.

New Jerseyans continue to pay among the highest property taxes in the nation. To combat the rising cost of living, the state has funneled billions into relief programs like Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR). Another property tax program available in New Jersey is the Stay NJ program, which offers benefits to eligible homeowners aged 65 and older. Other aid programs include the “Senior Freeze,” which reimburses eligible senior citizens and disabled persons for property tax or mobile home park site fee increases on their principal residence.

Learn more about each program at the following links:

• ANCHOR program
• Stay NJ program
• Senior Freeze

Some experts have pointed out that a high tax bill doesn't necessarily mean a homeowner is getting ripped off, however – it depends on what you get for the money.

“While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, it's worth noting that property taxes are largely rooted in the ‘benefit principle’ of government finance: the people paying the bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services,” researchers from The Tax Foundation say.

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