Despite a comparatively low residential tax rate, Newton’s high valuation for single family properties computes to one of the higher average single family tax bills across the state of Massachusetts.
Below is a table that shows the average single family tax bill in Newton and neighboring communities for FY2026 5
Town
Value Parcels
Average
Rate
Taxes State Rank Table Rank
$8.2B
Weston
3,374
$2,418,446 $6.97 $26,313
1
1
$11.7B
Brookline
4,579
$2,562,186 $25.11 $26,237
2
2
Wellesley $14.8B
7,319
$2,020,758 $8.93 $20,551
4
3
Lexington $15.0B
9,068
$1,656,734 $13.39 $20,394
7
4
$7.7B
Belmont
4,547
$1,701,064 $15.73 $19,579
8
5
$5.0B
Wayland
4,076
$1,231,217 $9.50 $18,259
10
6
$2.4B
Carlisle
1,774
$1,355,604 $11.11 $17,379
12
7
$29.9B
Newton
14
8
16,947 $1,762,337 $9.69 $17,077
Needham $13.0B
8,423
$1,541,061 $11.32 $16,690
18
9
Watertown $1.9B
2,845
$663,449 $12.49 $8,094
119
10
$4.4B
Waltham
8,737
$502,825 $10.73 $5,189
280
11
State
1,439,997 $665,227
$7,399
Proposition 2 ½ Overrides History Under Proposition 2 ½, a community’s levy limit increases automatically by an incremental increase of 2.5% of the prior year’s levy limit (hence the law’s nickname). A community can exceed its levy limit with voter approval. Prop 2 ½ gives communities flexibility to support local spending for schools and municipal operations. Communities can levy above its levy limit permanently or temporarily by passing by majority vote in an election an override or a debt exclusion override. By passing an Override a community can assess taxes in excess of the automatic annual 2.5% increase and any increase due to new growth or its Levy Limit. An override results in a permanent increase in the levy limit of a community. These funds can be used for both operating and capital expenses. For example, override funds could be used for things like educating students, paving roads, making park improvements, or building a new school or fire station.
5 MA Single Family Tax Bills
-286-
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator