Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Counties Where Utilities Cost More Than Property Tax in California
Property tax gets all the attention, but in much of the country the electricity and water bill is the larger line item. These are the counties where the gap is widest, using state residential electricity prices from the EIA.
Where does yours land?
Every county in America is somewhere on this scale, including the one you live in.
California ranked
| # | County | Utilities over tax | Effective rate | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Modoc County | $117 | 0.682% | $212,000 |
| 2 | Trinity County | $89 | 0.539% | $329,000 |
| 3 | Lassen County | $81 | 0.720% | $259,500 |
| 4 | Del Norte County | $81 | 0.586% | $319,600 |
| 5 | Siskiyou County | $80 | 0.661% | $284,500 |
| 6 | Tehama County | $71 | 0.632% | $315,600 |
| 7 | Glenn County | $55 | 0.647% | $338,400 |
| 8 | Tulare County | $53 | 0.730% | $303,000 |
| 9 | Lake County | $46 | 0.724% | $316,800 |
| 10 | Kings County | $46 | 0.751% | $305,700 |
| 11 | Imperial County | $41 | 0.840% | $279,500 |
| 12 | Plumas County | $40 | 0.721% | $327,400 |
| 13 | Inyo County | $38 | 0.707% | $338,400 |
| 14 | Mariposa County | $34 | 0.681% | $358,000 |
| 15 | Shasta County | $34 | 0.703% | $347,200 |
| 16 | Colusa County | $30 | 0.661% | $375,100 |
| 17 | Merced County | $30 | 0.675% | $368,400 |
| 18 | Madera County | $23 | 0.700% | $367,700 |
| 19 | Sierra County | $21 | 0.775% | $334,100 |
| 20 | Fresno County | $12 | 0.746% | $362,600 |
| 21 | Humboldt County | $10 | 0.652% | $418,800 |
| 22 | Tuolumne County | $9 | 0.674% | $406,200 |
| 23 | Butte County | $2 | 0.690% | $408,700 |
| 24 | Kern County | $1 | 0.912% | $310,600 |
| 25 | Yuba County | $-2 | 0.754% | $380,000 |
| 26 | Amador County | $-8 | 0.695% | $422,800 |
| 27 | Stanislaus County | $-15 | 0.709% | $426,600 |
| 28 | Sutter County | $-22 | 0.779% | $399,400 |
| 29 | Calaveras County | $-26 | 0.714% | $441,800 |
| 30 | Alpine County | $-29 | 0.684% | $466,100 |
| 31 | San Bernardino County | $-42 | 0.704% | $475,000 |
| 32 | Mendocino County | $-44 | 0.695% | $486,000 |
| 33 | Sacramento County | $-77 | 0.755% | $498,900 |
| 34 | San Joaquin County | $-78 | 0.765% | $494,500 |
| 35 | Mono County | $-91 | 0.765% | $514,300 |
| 36 | Riverside County | $-112 | 0.821% | $510,300 |
| 37 | Solano County | $-130 | 0.748% | $589,600 |
| 38 | Nevada County | $-135 | 0.741% | $602,800 |
| 39 | El Dorado County | $-139 | 0.704% | $640,500 |
| 40 | Yolo County | $-143 | 0.769% | $593,800 |
| 41 | Monterey County | $-161 | 0.661% | $723,100 |
| 42 | Santa Barbara County | $-169 | 0.662% | $735,700 |
| 43 | Ventura County | $-207 | 0.693% | $768,400 |
| 44 | Los Angeles County | $-216 | 0.694% | $783,300 |
| 45 | San Luis Obispo County | $-219 | 0.704% | $777,200 |
| 46 | San Diego County | $-225 | 0.700% | $791,600 |
| 47 | Sonoma County | $-228 | 0.716% | $779,000 |
| 48 | Placer County | $-230 | 0.850% | $658,800 |
| 49 | Napa County | $-249 | 0.696% | $838,800 |
| 50 | San Benito County | $-270 | 0.809% | $751,500 |
| 51 | Orange County | $-271 | 0.666% | $915,500 |
| 52 | Santa Cruz County | $-288 | 0.621% | $1,015,200 |
| 53 | Contra Costa County | $-338 | 0.831% | $830,800 |
| 54 | Alameda County | $-434 | 0.762% | $1,057,400 |
| 55 | San Mateo County | $-526 | 0.613% | $1,494,500 |
| 56 | San Francisco County | $-548 | 0.682% | $1,380,500 |
| 57 | Santa Clara County | $-576 | 0.706% | $1,382,800 |
| 58 | Marin County | $-596 | 0.719% | $1,390,000 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Counties Where Utilities Cost More Than Property Tax across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in California