Rural Tax Advantage

Rural areas have a big advantage when compared to urban areas from a property tax standpoint. The 50 State Property Tax Comparison Study from the Illinois Tax Foundation (January, 2005—Data for 2004) shows the difference.

For a $150,000 home the average tax is $2,130 in the urban setting compared to $1,954 in a rural one. In Oklahoma, where I’m spending a lot of time in May, the difference is even greater. In Oklahoma City the tax is $1,721 compared to only $1,080 in Hollis, OK.

For a commercial building ($1 million value with $200,000 of fixtures) the national average is $24,562 in the urban area compared to $19,722 in the rural area. Again Oklahoma is well below the national averages with that $1 million building paying $15,319 in Oklahoma City and only $9,373 in Hollis.

For an industrial building ($1 million building, $500k Machinery, $400k Inventories and $100k Fixtures) the average is $32,722 in the urban areas compared to $26,089 in the rural. Again in Oklahoma, their rates are below the national averages with Oklahoma City at $27,669 and Hollis at $15,469.