High property tax rates have become an important issue in the State of Texas, particularly with the midterm election coming up on Nov. 8. Both candidates for governor, incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott and 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, the median effective property tax rate is higher than the statewide figure.
TaxRates.org reports that Williamson County's median effective residential property tax rate in 2022 is 2.22%. 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 measures the median effective rate for the all of Texas to be 1.81%. Based on these figures, Williamson County residents have a property tax burden 23% higher than the statewide average.
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. Williamson County residents have a property tax burden three times higher than Californians and 2.29 times higher than Floridians.
According to World Population Review, about 64% of Texans live in the 12 most populous of Texas' 254 counties. Williamson County has a population of 646,285, which accounts for 2.16% of the state's residents. The county has seen a 52.9% increase in its population since 2010.
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.
"Texas is sitting on a $27 billion SURPLUS because of our record setting revenue. We will use much of it to deliver the largest property tax cut in Texas history," Abbott wrote in an Oct. 17 Twitter post.