Gov. Greg Abbott during a news conference in March of last year | gov.texas.gov/
Gov. Greg Abbott during a news conference in March of last year | gov.texas.gov/
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 Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke, have promised action on this issue to lower the financial burden on Texas homeowners.
“Texas is sitting on a $27 Billion SURPLUS because of our record setting revenue,” Abbott tweeted recently. “We will use much of it to deliver the largest property tax cut in Texas history.”
In 12 of Texas' most populated counties, including El Paso, the median effective property tax rate is higher than the statewide figure. TaxRates.org reports that El Paso's median effective residential property tax rate in 2022 is 2.09%. This figure measures the percent 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 measured the median effective rate for all of Texas to be 1.81%. Based on these figures, El Paso County residents have a property tax burden 15% higher than the statewide average.
Two states that are often compared to Texas, California and Florida, have lower effective property tax rates than the Lone Star State. California’s is at 0.74% and Florida’s is at 0.97%. That translate to El Paso residents having a property tax burden 2.82 times higher than Californians and 2.15 times higher than Floridians.
World Population Review figures show that about 64% of Texans live in the 12 most populous of Texas' 254 counties. El Paso County has a population of 878,659, which accounts for 2.93% of the State's residents. The county has seen a 9.74% increase in its population since 2010.
In 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.
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