TownScore

How good is your town’s government at providing quality services for reasonable and stable taxes? Your town may have desirable attributes, such as a charming downtown district, but does your town create value for you as a homeowner?

TownScore captures the value that a local government provides, as measured by the quality of essential services it delivers to residents relative to the Tax & Fee Burden it imposes.

StateScore

How good is your state’s government at providing quality services for reasonable and stable taxes?
Your state may have desirable attributes, such as great weather, but does your state create value for you as a homeowner?

StateScore captures the value that a state government provides, as measured by the quality of services it delivers to residents relative to the Tax & Fee Burden it imposes.

TownScore Subscores

• Tax Burden from all local taxing authorities.
• Fee Burden from essential service providers.
• Projected Future Tax & Fee Burden, reflecting debt and retirement obligations that must be paid down over time.
• Quality of schools.
• Property crime.
• Public safety.

StateScore Subscores

• Tax Burden from all state and state agency taxing authorities.
• Fee Burden from the state government and its business-type and component unit activities.
• Projected Future Tax & Fee Burden, reflecting debt and retirement obligations that must be paid down over time.
• Quality of schools, at the state level.
• Property crime.
• Public safety.

TownAlpha

If a town provides better services for fewer taxes and fees than similarly priced towns, it will have a positive TownAlpha, signifying good value for homeowners. TownAlpha measures the difference between a town’s actual TownScore and its expected TownScore, which is determined by a town’s median house price.

StateAlpha

If a state provides better services for fewer taxes and fees than similarly priced states, it will have a positive StateAlpha, signifying good value for homeowners. StateAlpha is the difference between a state’s actual StateScore and its expected StateScore, which is determined by a state’s median home price.

Town TaxLookout

Local taxes and fees rise over time, usually at about the rate of inflation, but so do household incomes.

Are your local taxes and fees likely to take a bigger bite out of your income over time?

State TaxLookout

State taxes and fees rise over time, usually at about the rate of inflation, but so do household incomes.

Are your state taxes and fees likely to take a bigger bite out of your income over time?

TownCost

• Real estate property taxes from all local authorities.
• Fees charged by your local governments, including from their business-type and component unit activities.
• Property taxes on cars, boats, and RVs.
• Local sales taxes, if levied
• Local income taxes, if levied.
• Fees paid to agencies and private companies for essential services such as electricity, water, and garbage collection.

Reported as a total dollar cost and as a percent of the town’s median home price.

StateCost

• State income taxes, if levied.
• State sales taxes, if levied.
• State property taxes, if levied.
• All other state taxes.
• Fees paid to your state government, including to its business-type and component unit activities.

Reported as a total dollar cost and as a percent of the state’s median home price.

WalletImpact

If your state or local tax burden increases, you’ll pay more. If crime rises, you may purchase a security system. If school performance worsens, you may pay for tutoring. An increase in any of these expenses will be felt in all future years. This is WalletImpact.

Your property value may also be impacted. When you sell your home, your buyers will factor in the additional expenses they will pay over time, which may affect what they’ll pay for your home.

Not captured in listing

• Many costs for services such as electricity, water, and garbage collection.
• Local sales taxes, if levied.
• Local income taxes, if levied.
• Local property taxes on cars and boats.
• State-levied income, sales, property, and other taxes.
• Fees from state and local governments and agencies, which can be significant.
• A listing may also neglect to capture overlapping taxes from special authorities, such as a flood control district.