The average tax rate across the Capital Region is lower than average, but a few municipalities stray from the average rate of $24.68 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed values.

Schenectady has the highest effective tax rate in 2013, $43.58, according to a recently released report by the Empire Center for Public Policy, an independent research organization in Albany. A home valued at $160,250 would have paid $6,984 in taxes.

In Saratoga County, the village of Waterford was the tenth highest, with a $36.78 tax rate.

On the low end, the town of Edinburg came in with the lowest rates in the entire Capital Region at $8.96. Owners of a home with the median value of $221,700 would have paid $1,986 in taxes. The neighboring town of Day was the fourth lowest with a $9.71 rate per $1,000. Wilton also came in on the low list at sixteenth with a $13.79 per $1,000 rate.

Municipalities in Warren County made up a majority of the bottom 20 list for the Capital Region.

“There’s no question that New Yorkers pay some of the highest property taxes in the country, but the burden can vary widely, even among neighboring jurisdictions,” said Empire Center Executive Director Tim Hoefer in a news release. “By making it easier to compare taxes in different localities, we hope to encourage local taxpayers and elected officials to search for ways of reducing taxes and spending.”

The city of Albany had the second highest tax rate at $41.67 per $1,000. Property owners with a home valued at $205,000 would pay $8,452.

The town of Schodack, the cities of Troy and Rensselaer all appeared on the list of highest rates. Schodack was sixth with $38.04 per $1,000. A $170,000 home would cost a Troy resident $6,393 with a rate of $37.61 and a Rensselaer resident $6,349 with a rate of $37.35 per $1,000. A Troy home in the Lansingburgh school district was slightly less, $5,870 for a $170,000 home.

The Capital Region and the North County were both below the median rate across New York at $24.68 per $1,000 and $25.67 per $1,000, respectively. Western New York was the highest median rate at $35.72 per $1,000.

The Empire Center uses data from the state Comptroller’s Office to calculate the effective rates, the total amount paid to a county, local city, village or town and school district based on a percentage of a property’s value. New York City and Nassau County were excluded because different rates on different classes of property are used, the report said.

View the full report at empirecenter.org or find how where you live compares to others across the state with the Empire Center’s Property Tax Calculator at seethroughny.net.

© 2015 The Saratogian