New Hampshire property tax rates by town vary dramatically, from around $11 per $1,000 of assessed value in wealthier seacoast communities to more than $36 per $1,000 in some smaller inland towns. For 2025 (the most recently certified year), Charlestown carried the highest total rate at $36.54 while Portsmouth sat at just $11.51. These gaps exist because New Hampshire has no broad-based state income tax and no general sales tax, so local governments fund most public services through property taxes. The state’s interest and dividends tax was repealed effective January 1, 2025, which makes property taxes even more central to the fiscal picture.1NH Department of Revenue Administration. Repeal of NH Interest and Dividends Tax Now in Effect
2025 Total Tax Rates in Selected Towns
The Department of Revenue Administration certifies each town’s tax rate every fall and publishes the results in a statewide report. The 2025 rates, finalized in early 2026, show just how wide the gap can be:2NH Department of Revenue Administration. 2025 Municipal Tax Rates
- Charlestown: $36.54
- Keene: $34.37
- Berlin: $33.60
- Claremont: $30.54
- Concord: $29.11
- Manchester: $20.24
- Salem: $18.16
- Nashua: $16.83
- Portsmouth: $11.51
All figures are per $1,000 of assessed value. A few unincorporated places like Bean’s Grant and Cutt’s Grant show $0.00 rates because they have virtually no permanent residents or municipal services. Those numbers are curiosities, not realistic comparisons for anyone looking to buy a home.
Why the Gap Between Towns Is So Wide
The pattern is not random. Towns with higher property values per capita can raise the same revenue at lower rates. Portsmouth, with its expensive waterfront real estate, generates substantial revenue even at $11.51 per $1,000. Berlin, where property values are much lower, needs a rate nearly three times higher to fund basic services.
School spending also plays an outsized role. Local education alone accounts for $12.66 of Berlin’s $33.60 rate, compared to $4.57 of Portsmouth’s $11.51.2NH Department of Revenue Administration. 2025 Municipal Tax Rates Two towns with similar municipal budgets can land in very different places on the rate list depending on what their schools cost and how much state aid flows in.
How to Calculate Your Annual Tax Bill
Your annual tax bill is straightforward math: your property’s assessed value divided by 1,000, multiplied by the total tax rate. A home assessed at $300,000 in a town with a $20.00 rate would owe $6,000 for the year. The same $300,000 home in Portsmouth at $11.51 would owe $3,453, while that assessed value in Keene at $34.37 would produce a $10,311 bill.
The assessed value is the municipal assessor’s estimate of what your property would sell for. That figure does not automatically update with the market every year. It stays fixed until the town conducts a revaluation, and state law requires every municipality to reappraise all real estate at full market value at least once every five years.3New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 75:8-a – Five-Year Valuation
This creates an important dynamic. When a town completes a revaluation and property values jump significantly, the tax rate usually drops to avoid a sudden spike in bills. The total revenue the town needs has not changed, only the base it is spread across. Conversely, if a town’s spending increases while property values stay flat, the rate climbs. What matters to your wallet is the combination of rate and assessed value, not either number alone.
Why Nominal Rates Can Mislead You
A town that just completed a revaluation might show a $15.00 rate applied to current market values. A neighboring town that has not revalued in four years might show a $28.00 rate applied to assessments well below market value. The actual tax burden in both towns could be nearly identical, but the nominal rates look very different.
The DRA addresses this through an equalization process. Each year, the department calculates a ratio for every municipality by comparing actual sale prices to the town’s assessed values. A ratio of 100% means assessments match the market; a ratio of 60% means properties are assessed at roughly 60 cents on the dollar. The DRA then uses these ratios to produce an equalized tax rate that reflects what the rate would be if every town assessed at full market value.4New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 21-J:3 – Duties of Commissioner
A town with a $30.00 nominal rate and a 50% equalization ratio carries the same real tax burden as a town with a $15.00 nominal rate and a 100% ratio. Both effectively collect $15.00 per $1,000 of actual market value. If you are comparing the cost of owning property in different towns, the equalized rate is the number that matters. The DRA publishes these ratios in its annual equalization reports.
What Makes Up the Total Rate
Every New Hampshire property tax bill breaks into four separate rates, each funding a different layer of government. State law requires your bill to show each one individually, so you can see exactly where your money goes.5New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 76:11-a – Information
- The municipal rate covers town-level services like road maintenance, police, fire, and general administration. This is the piece your town’s budget decisions most directly control.
- The local education rate funds your school district’s operating budget beyond what state aid covers. In many towns, this is the single largest component.
- The state education property tax (SWEPT) is a uniform rate set by the state and applied to every municipality. For 2026, the SWEPT rate is $1.030 per $1,000 of assessed value. Despite the name, the money stays local; it is subtracted from the state education aid your town would otherwise receive rather than being sent to Concord.6NH Department of Revenue Administration. Statewide Education Property Tax
- The county rate supports county-level services such as the sheriff’s department, county corrections, and the registry of deeds. Your town has no control over this piece; it is apportioned by the county budget.
Add the four together and you get the total tax rate that determines your annual bill. When you see one town’s rate running $10 higher than another’s, the breakdown tells you where the difference actually lives — usually in local education, sometimes in municipal spending, rarely in county or SWEPT (which vary much less).
Where to Find Your Town’s Current Rate
The DRA publishes a complete list of certified tax rates for every municipality each year in a downloadable report. The 2025 edition, finalized in January 2026, includes each town’s municipal, county, state education, and local education rates along with the total.7NH Department of Revenue Administration. Municipal and Village District Tax Rates and Other Data
For your individual assessment and past billing history, your town clerk or assessing department is the best contact. Many towns also post assessment data and tax maps through their municipal websites. Reviewing your assessment card alongside the DRA’s rate data gives you the full picture of how your bill is calculated and how your town compares to the ones you’re weighing against it.