Rhode Island ranks 15th highest among U.S. states for its effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing, according to the Tax Foundation’s “Property Taxes by State and County, 2026” report.

The research group’s analysis places the state’s effective rate at 1.12% in 2024, based on U.S. Census Bureau data from the 2024 American Community Survey. The report notes a decline from 1.19% in 2023.

The effective rate reflects total real estate taxes paid on owner-occupied homes as a percentage of those properties’ total market value. It focuses solely on residential owner-occupied housing and excludes taxes paid by businesses, renters and other groups.

Rhode Island’s rate exceeds the national median but falls below top-burden states such as New Jersey and Illinois, both at 1.88%. Hawaii recorded the lowest national rate at 0.29%, followed by Alabama at 0.37%.

New England states generally impose higher effective property tax rates than the national median, reflecting heavy reliance on property taxes to fund local services such as schools, roads, police, and fire protection. Among the six New England states, Rhode Island’s rate ranks fourth highest:

Connecticut: 1.54% (rank 3 nationally)
Vermont: 1.51% (rank 4 nationally)
New Hampshire: 1.50% (rank 5 nationally)
Rhode Island: 1.12% (rank 15 nationally)
Massachusetts: 1.00% (rank 16 nationally)
Maine: 0.98% (rank 19 nationally)

Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire cluster near the top of national rankings, with rates exceeding 1.5%. Rhode Island’s burden is noticeably lower than those three but higher than Massachusetts and Maine, which hover closer to 1%.