How does Brookline compare with other communities’ tax bills?

On the one hand, Brookline pays the second-highest average single-family property tax bill ($21,322) in the Commonwealth, behind only Weston. It is important to note, however, that 2 of the 10 most expensive real estate sales in Massachusetts last year were in Brookline, which suggests that large and expensive outlier properties skew our mean tax bill significantly.

On the other hand, when Brookline’s preponderance of condominiums, two- and three-family homes, rental apartments, and multi-use buildings (combining residential and commercial uses) is taken into account, the average tax bill per unit of housing is $8,569. The number of rental apartments, units within owner-occupied buildings having four or more units, and units within multi-use buildings is not easily obtainable for many of our peer communities, but even excluding these types of residential units, Brookline’s average tax bill is presently in well in line with our peer communities:

MunicipalityNumber of Condominiums and One-, Two-, and Three-Family HomesTotal Valuation of these Property TypesResidential Tax Rate per $1,000 of Valuation (Before Residential Exemption)Average Per-Unit Tax Bill for these Property Types
Wellesley8,154$11,838,080,660$11.45$17,144
Lexington10,527$9,631,802,000$13.00$16,318
Needham9,833$22,608,069,600$13.04$13,542
Brookline17,552$13,213,939,569$9.97$12,842
Belmont9,794$32,151,444,600$11.24$11,054
Arlington16,685$12,208,806,000$11.21$7,954
Brookline's Tax Bills Compared to Other Communities

Show All Answers

1. What is an operating override?
2. How does an override differ from a debt exclusion?
3. How much additional funding does the Town want in the override?
4. How much additional funding does the Public Schools of Brookline (PSB) want in the override?
5. Are there other override proposals on the ballot?
6. What about debt exclusions?
7. How much will the override and/or debt exclusion increase my property taxes?
8. Why is an override needed?
9. What is Brookline doing to assist senior citizens or residents on a fixed income?
10. How does Brookline compare with other communities’ tax bills?