Property Tax in Sussex County, New Jersey
The median real estate tax bill in Sussex County, New Jersey is $8,462 per year, and the median home is worth $342,800. 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 Sussex County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Sussex County pay more than $8,462, and half pay less. Your own bill is set by your home's assessed value, the exemptions you qualify for, and the local taxing districts your property sits in — so individual bills vary widely around the median.
Dividing the median tax by the median home value gives a derived effective rate of 2.47% for Sussex County. It is an estimate built from two survey medians, not the county's official rate, but it is a fair way to compare the local tax burden with other counties where home values are very different.
Sussex County by the numbers
| Measure | Sussex County | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $8,462 | $9,541 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $342,800 | $427,600 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 2.47% | 2.23% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $705 | $795 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Sussex County at a glance
- Median tax rank in New Jersey: #12 of 21 counties
- Median home value rank in New Jersey: #14 of 21
- Population rank in New Jersey: #17 of 21 (145,117 residents)
- Population density rank: #20 of 21 (280 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in New Jersey: #4 of 21 (518 sq mi, 7.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $705; per $1,000 of home value: $2.47
How Sussex County compares
Of the 21 New Jersey counties with published data, 11 have a higher median property tax bill than Sussex County's $8,462, putting the county at #12 in the state. Its bill is about 11% lower than the state median of $9,541 and about 185% higher than the national median of $2,969.
Rates and values pull in opposite directions: an expensive housing market can produce big bills at ordinary rates. Here the derived rate is 2.47%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #14 within New Jersey.
Some extra context for Sussex County: the median bill works out to about $705 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $2,468 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 145,117 people — the #17 most populous county in New Jersey, spread over 518 square miles, a density of about 280 people per square mile. Its median home value, $342,800, ranks #14 among the state's 21 counties with data.
Nationally, Sussex County's median bill of $8,462 ranks #27 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 1% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 1.6% of New Jersey's population, its median home value is about 20% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 24.68% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Sussex County to the most expensive county, Bergen County ($10,001), is $1,539 a year.
Counties nearest Sussex County in the New Jersey ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson County, NJ | $9,413 | $508,600 | 1.85% |
| Mercer County, NJ | $8,804 | $351,000 | 2.51% |
| Warren County, NJ | $8,156 | $323,100 | 2.52% |
| Camden County, NJ | $8,063 | $262,200 | 3.08% |
Sussex County and its population peers
Population is a useful lens on these figures, so the table below sets Sussex County beside the counties closest to it in population anywhere in the country — communities of a similar scale operating under different state and local tax systems. Ranked by median tax paid within this peer group of 9, Sussex County's $8,462 bill is the highest.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick County, NC | 145,889 | $1,789 | $314,700 | 0.57% |
| Livingston Parish, LA | 145,583 | $1,079 | $218,900 | 0.49% |
| Randolph County, NC | 145,322 | $1,236 | $171,600 | 0.72% |
| Wright County, MN | 145,270 | $3,319 | $332,800 | 1.00% |
| Coconino County, AZ | 144,643 | $2,008 | $413,200 | 0.49% |
| Jackson County, MS | 144,437 | $1,332 | $181,700 | 0.73% |
| Taylor County, TX | 144,259 | $2,670 | $190,300 | 1.40% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 143,876 | $2,263 | $375,000 | 0.60% |
The closest population match is Wright County, Minnesota (145,270 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $3,319 on a median home value of $332,800 — $5,143 more than Sussex County pays.
Sussex County's nearest population neighbours within New Jersey are Atlantic County (274,704 residents, median tax $6,749 on a median value of $272,700); Cumberland County (152,915 residents, median tax $5,048 on a median value of $205,600); 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). Comparing them is a reminder that even inside one state's rules, the bill follows local home values and local district rates more than anything decided at the state level.
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Sussex County's derived rate of 2.47%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $9,872 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.
Illustrative bills in Sussex County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 2.47% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Sussex 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 | $3,702 | $308 |
| $250,000 | $6,170 | $514 |
| $350,000 | $8,638 | $720 |
| $500,000 | $12,340 | $1,028 |
| $750,000 | $18,510 | $1,542 |
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 Sussex County
Believe your assessment is too high? The practical order of attack is: obtain your record card and audit it line by line; collect comparable recent sales in Sussex County; ask the assessor's office to correct anything plainly wrong; and, if the value still seems off, lodge a formal appeal ahead of the deadline printed on your assessment notice. Windows are short — often 30 to 90 days — and late appeals are usually rejected outright, however strong the case.
More New Jersey counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Sussex County, New Jersey?
The median real estate tax paid in Sussex County, New Jersey is $8,462 per year, on a median home value of $342,800 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Sussex County, New Jersey?
The derived effective rate is 2.47% — the median bill ($8,462) expressed as a share of the median home value ($342,800). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Sussex County compare with the rest of New Jersey?
By median taxes paid, Sussex County stands at #12 among the 21 New Jersey counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $8,462 median bill is about 11% lower than the state median ($9,541), and 11 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Sussex 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 Sussex County is $8,462 of tax on a $342,800 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Sussex County, New Jersey?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Sussex 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.