Property Tax in Morris County, New Jersey
In Morris County, New Jersey, the typical homeowner pays $10,001 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $557,000. The figures on this page are the Census Bureau's published medians (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023), shown exactly as released.
What the Morris County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Morris County homeowners pay more than $10,001 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 $557,000, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 1.80%. 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.
Morris County by the numbers
| Measure | Morris County | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $10,001 | $9,541 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $557,000 | $427,600 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.80% | 2.23% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $833 | $795 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Morris County at a glance
- Median tax rank in New Jersey: #1 of 21 counties
- Median home value rank in New Jersey: #3 of 21
- Population rank in New Jersey: #10 of 21 (510,375 residents)
- Population density rank: #11 of 21 (1,107 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in New Jersey: #7 of 21 (461 sq mi, 6.3% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $833; per $1,000 of home value: $1.80
How Morris County compares
The median tax bill in Morris County is about 5% higher than the state median ($9,541 for New Jersey) and about 237% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #1 out of 21 New Jersey counties with published Census data — 0 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. Morris County's derived rate of 1.80% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Morris County: the median bill works out to about $833 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,796 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 510,375 people — the #10 most populous county in New Jersey, spread over 461 square miles, a density of about 1,107 people per square mile. Its median home value, $557,000, ranks #3 among the state's 21 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 5 record a higher median tax bill than Morris County — it sits in the top 1% nationally. The county holds roughly 5.5% of New Jersey's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $557,000 versus $427,600), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.80% adds up to about 17.96% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Cumberland County, medians $5,048 — $4,953 less than Morris County per year.
Counties nearest Morris County in the New Jersey ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunterdon County, NJ | $10,001 | $498,800 | 2.00% |
| Monmouth County, NJ | $10,001 | $566,500 | 1.76% |
| Passaic County, NJ | $10,001 | $439,400 | 2.28% |
| Somerset County, NJ | $10,001 | $523,900 | 1.91% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Morris County's derived rate of 1.80%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $7,184 a year. That is only an illustration using the derived rate — a real bill is computed from the property's assessed value, its exemptions, and the combined rates of its specific taxing districts, so it can be higher or lower.
The usual sequence is: the local assessor values the property; exemptions are applied; the taxable value is multiplied by the combined local rates; and the county bills and collects the tax, distributing it to the schools, municipalities and districts that levied it.
Checking your assessment in Morris County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Morris 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 Morris County, New Jersey?
The median real estate tax paid in Morris County, New Jersey is $10,001 per year, on a median home value of $557,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Morris County, New Jersey?
The derived effective rate is 1.80% — the median bill ($10,001) expressed as a share of the median home value ($557,000). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Morris County compare with the rest of New Jersey?
Morris County ranks #1 of 21 New Jersey counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $10,001 is about 5% higher than the New Jersey median of $9,541.
How are property taxes calculated in Morris 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 Morris County is $10,001 of tax on a $557,000 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Morris County, New Jersey?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Morris County assessor, verify its details, and compare the assessed value against similar homes that sold recently. If the value still seems too high, submit a formal appeal to the board named on your notice before the stated deadline — usually a 30-to-90-day window.