A report Thursday from the fiscally conservative Empire Center shows that New York’s highest property-tax rates are in cities and rural areas with low property values, and the lowest are in resort communities and wealthy areas with high property values.

Median local and school property-tax rates in western New York and the Finger Lakes are the highest in the state at $34.93 and $33.96 per $1,000 of assessed value, compared to $28.50 per $1,000 in the Southern Tier and $24.11 in the Hudson Valley, the Empire Center found. The statewide median tax rate is $27.43.

The report “reinforces what we already knew — that property taxes in New York are high,” said Tim Hoefer, director of the Empire Center.

While the property-tax rates are higher upstate, the property values generally are much lower, so the total tax bill would be lower, he said. The highest median home sales value is in Westchester County at $630,000. The lowest is $53,000 in Allegany County. The median value in Monroe County is $125,000, $106,000 in Broome County and $270,000 in Dutchess County, the report said.

The organization released the study as people around the state prepare to vote on school budgets Tuesday. The average proposed spending increase is 1.3 percent, with an average hike in the tax levy of 3.4 percent, according to the state Education Department.

“I think this is information that taxpayers should definitely look at before they vote on their school budgets,” Hoefer said.

Eighteen of the top 20 property-tax rates are in Allegany County, and the other two are in Wayne County, the Empire Center report said. The rate for Lyons, Wayne County, is $52.33 per $1,000 of assessed value, and it is $52.30 for Galen, Wayne County. The top rate is in Wellsville, Allegany County, at $62.20 per $1,000, more than double the median for the region.

As for the bottom 20 median property-tax rates in New York, most are in Suffolk County. Sagaponack, located in the Hamptons, has a total tax rate of $1.32 per $1,000. Eastchester, Westchester County, has a median rate of $6.16. The center’s report also ranks the top 20 and bottom 20 tax rates by region, along with rankings for cities.

The Rye school district portion of the city of Rye, Westchester County, is the lowest-taxed area within cities, with a rate of $15.68 per $1,000, the Empire Center found. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Fulton, Oswego County is the most heavily taxed city, with a rate of $51.14 per $1,000…..

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