Property Tax in Cape May County, New Jersey
The median real estate tax bill in Cape May County, New Jersey is $5,233 per year, and the median home is worth $395,000. Both figures are the US Census Bureau's survey medians for owner-occupied households (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What the Cape May County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Cape May County homeowners pay more than $5,233 a year and half pay less. The exact bill for any one home depends on its assessed value, exemptions, and which school, municipal and special districts cover it.
Set against the median home value of $395,000, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 1.32%. That rate is an estimate computed from the two medians — no county publishes a rate calculated this way — but it adjusts for home prices, which makes comparisons between counties more meaningful.
Cape May County by the numbers
| Measure | Cape May County | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $5,233 | $9,541 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $395,000 | $427,600 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.32% | 2.23% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $436 | $795 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Cape May County at a glance
- Median tax rank in New Jersey: #20 of 21 counties
- Median home value rank in New Jersey: #11 of 21
- Population rank in New Jersey: #20 of 21 (95,236 residents)
- Population density rank: #16 of 21 (379 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in New Jersey: #14 of 21 (251 sq mi, 3.4% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $436; per $1,000 of home value: $1.32
How Cape May County compares
The median tax bill in Cape May County is about 45% lower than the state median ($9,541 for New Jersey) and about 76% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #20 out of 21 New Jersey counties with published Census data — 19 counties in the state have a higher median bill.
Comparisons cut both ways: a county can have a modest rate but high bills because homes are expensive, or a high rate but modest bills because homes are cheaper. Cape May County's derived rate of 1.32% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Cape May County: the median bill works out to about $436 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,325 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 95,236 people — the #20 most populous county in New Jersey, spread over 251 square miles, a density of about 379 people per square mile. Its median home value, $395,000, ranks #11 among the state's 21 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 114 record a higher median tax bill than Cape May County — it sits in the top 4% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.0% of New Jersey's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $395,000 versus $427,600), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.32% adds up to about 13.25% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Cumberland County, medians $5,048 — $185 less than Cape May County per year.
Counties nearest Cape May County in the New Jersey ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic County, NJ | $6,749 | $272,700 | 2.48% |
| Ocean County, NJ | $6,499 | $366,600 | 1.77% |
| Cumberland County, NJ | $5,048 | $205,600 | 2.46% |
Cape May County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Cape May County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Cape May County ($5,233) ranks the highest by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 95,757 | $2,900 | $296,200 | 0.98% |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 95,555 | $3,570 | $282,500 | 1.26% |
| Geauga County, OH | 95,479 | $4,533 | $305,100 | 1.49% |
| Nash County, NC | 95,451 | $1,320 | $171,100 | 0.77% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 95,037 | $697 | $185,800 | 0.38% |
| St. Croix County, WI | 94,819 | $4,297 | $349,700 | 1.23% |
| Nassau County, FL | 94,653 | $2,558 | $351,100 | 0.73% |
| Rockdale County, GA | 94,293 | $1,843 | $256,600 | 0.72% |
The closest population match is Lauderdale County, Alabama (95,037 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $697 on a median home value of $185,800 — $4,536 more than Cape May County pays.
Inside New Jersey itself, the counties closest to Cape May County in population are Hunterdon County (129,448 residents, median tax $10,001 on a median value of $498,800); Warren County (110,238 residents, median tax $8,156 on a median value of $323,100); Salem County (64,973 residents, median tax $6,757 on a median value of $223,000). Same state, same broad tax framework — yet the median bills still differ, because assessed values and the mix of county, municipal and school-district rates are set locally.
How the tax is worked out
The bill is built in stages. First the assessor puts a market value on the property. Exemptions — a homestead exemption above all — then reduce the taxable amount. Finally the combined local rate is applied. To see the scale: at the county's derived rate of 1.32%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $1,325 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $5,300. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Illustrative bills in Cape May County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.32% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Cape May County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 2.23% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,988 | $166 |
| $250,000 | $3,312 | $276 |
| $350,000 | $4,638 | $386 |
| $500,000 | $6,625 | $552 |
| $750,000 | $9,938 | $828 |
Illustration only: real bills are computed from the assessed value, exemptions, and the combined rates of the property's actual taxing districts.
Checking your assessment in Cape May County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Cape May County assessor: wrong square footage, an extra room, or a missing homestead exemption are common and fixable. Next, line your assessed value up against recent sales of genuinely similar homes nearby. Many disputes end at an informal conversation with the assessor's office; if yours does not, file the formal appeal with the review board named on your notice before its deadline, evidence attached, and keep paying the bill in the meantime so penalties do not build up.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Cape May County, New Jersey?
The median real estate tax paid in Cape May County, New Jersey is $5,233 per year, on a median home value of $395,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Cape May County, New Jersey?
On a derived basis, 1.32%: the county's median tax bill of $5,233 divided by its median home value of $395,000. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Cape May County compare with the rest of New Jersey?
By median taxes paid, Cape May County stands at #20 among the 21 New Jersey counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $5,233 median bill is about 45% lower than the state median ($9,541), and 19 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Cape May County, New Jersey?
Three steps produce the bill: an assessment of market value by the local assessor, a reduction for exemptions you qualify for (a homestead exemption is the common one), and multiplication by the combined rates of the county, municipality, school district and any special districts covering the property. The median result in Cape May County is $5,233 of tax on a $395,000 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Cape May County, New Jersey?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Cape May County assessor's office and check it for errors, then compare your assessed value with recent sales of similar homes. If it still looks too high, file a formal appeal with the local review board named on your assessment notice before the deadline printed on the notice — windows are short, often 30 to 90 days.