The Capital Region has the lowest median property tax rates in the state, according to a new database released by the Empire Center for Public Policy.

And while Schenectady and Albany have the top tax rates for this area, they are not nearly as high as some other cities. The distinction of being No. 1 goes to Binghamton, where residents pay $52.34 per $1,000 of assessed property value, followed by Fulton in Oswego County, Gloversville in Fulton County, Olean in Cattaraugus County and Ogdensburg in St. Lawrence County.

Each year, the Empire Center receives the data on combined county, local municipal and school district taxes from the state comptroller’s office. The rankings on tax rates do not include other taxes, such as those from libraries and fire districts. Also, the list does not include New York City and Nassau County because of their complicated tax classifications.

The 2012 property tax rate database shows what it always does – that cities with decreasing property values and populations have the highest rates, according to Tim Hoefer, director of the Empire Center, which is a project of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. He said New Yorkers reading the list must also factor in the median home price in that municipality to truly understand how expensive it is to live there.

Hoefer said that while the city of Schenectady has a $40.75 tax rate, if you bought a house there at the county’s median home value last year of $159,900, you’d be paying $6,515 in property taxes. In Albany, where the tax rate is $36.40, you would pay $7,098 for a house assessed at Albany County’s median, $195,000.

“It’s not all about the tax rate,” Hoefer said. “It’s about what you’re paying for a house overall.”

Also, some Schenectady residents like to fault the Electric City for having the highest taxes in the state. They are wrong, according to Empire’s list. Schenectady ranks 23rd among cities in New York, followed by Albany at 35, and Troy at No. 42…..

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