Mid City Times

High property tax rates have become an important issue in the state of Texas, in particular with the midterm election coming up on Nov. 8. 

Both candidates for governor, Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke, have promised action on this issue to lower the financial burden to Texas homeowners. In 12 of Texas' most populated counties, including Denton County, the median effective property tax rate is higher than the statewide figure.

"Texas is sitting on a $27 Billion SURPLUS because of our record setting revenue," Abbott wrote in an Oct. 17 Twitter post. "We will use much of it to deliver the largest property tax cut in Texas history."

TaxRates.org measures the median effective rate for the all of Texas to be 1.81%. This figure measures the percentage of a home's taxable value that is collected by taxing authorities, meaning any tax exemptions on the property are factored into the rate. TaxRates.org reports that Denton County's median effective residential property tax rate in 2022 is 2.14%. Based on these figures, Denton County residents have a property tax burden 18% higher than the statewide average.

Denton County's property tax burden seems even more inequitable when viewed against property tax rates of other states. Two states often compared to Texas, California and Florida, have lower effective property tax rates than the Lone Star State at 0.74% and 0.97% respectively. Denton County residents have a property tax burden 2.89 times higher than Californians and 2.21 times higher than Floridians.

According to World Population Review, about 64% of Texans live in the 12 most populous of Texas' 254 counties. Denton County has a population of 955,184, which accounts for 3.19% of the state's residents. The county has seen a 44.15% increase in its population since 2010.

Texans may soon see some relief on their property tax bill. During a September debate, Abbott and O'Rourke both identified high property tax rates as an issue worthy of action. Abbott promised to use state budget revenues to buy down property tax burdens for homeowners. O'Rourke pointed to increasing the tax burden on commercial properties, adding new revenue streams such as legal marijuana, and expanding Medicaid.