Report: Charleston residents have lowest large-city property taxes in U.S.

(The Center Square) – People living in Charleston, West Virginia, have some of the lowest property tax bills in a large city in the United States, according to a report from the Lincoln Institute on Land Policy on data from 2021.

The report looked at property taxes for the largest city in each state and District of Columbia and tax bills in Charleston were dead last at 51st while the property tax rate ranked 40th at 0.85 times the national average, or 15% below the average.

The average tax bill is $1,330 with a median home value sitting at $157,000 for homestead properties.

“The two most important reasons why tax rates vary across cities are the extent to which cities rely on the property tax as opposed to other revenue sources, and the level of property values in each jurisdiction,” the report said. “Two additional factors that help explain variation in tax rates are the level of local government spending and whether cities tax homesteads at lower rates than other types of property.”

The report also looked at commercial and industrial property taxes along with apartment property taxes, preferential treatment of homestead properties and property tax assessment limits.

Commercial property tax rates, however, were higher in Charleston than the national average by 1.86 times, ranking the city as the 23rd highest while Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Boise, Idaho, had the lowest rates.

Industrial property taxes on properties worth more than $1 million were also above average, ranking 10th and sitting at 1.88 times the national average.