Berkeley property tax rate climbs to 2.7% in 2025, surpassing Cook County average

Berkeley’s effective property tax rate rose from 2.6% in 2016 to 2.7% in 2025, representing a 0.1 percentage point increase over the past decade, according to BlockShopper.com.

In Cook County, the average effective property tax rate stayed at 2% between 2016 and 2025. Berkeley’s rate in 2025 was above the countywide average.

Berkeley reported the ninth smallest increase in effective property tax rates out of 136 Cook County cities reviewed during that period.

Also in 2025, Berkeley ranked 36th among Cook County cities for its effective property tax rate of 2.7%.

This figure is about 3 times greater than the 2024 U.S. average effective property tax rate of 0.888%.

Across the U.S., home prices continued their upward trend in 2025, reaching a national median of roughly $447,000 in June. That is 1.13% higher than a year prior, according to Redfin. The data also indicates a substantial imbalance between supply and demand, with 36% more homes for sale than buyers (a difference of 508,715 homes). Redfin labels a market as balanced if seller and buyer numbers are within 10% of each other.

Even if property tax rates fall or remain unchanged, homeowners can see higher tax bills when property values increase. Since taxes depend on both the rate and a property’s assessed value, rising prices can boost the tax base and increase what is owed despite rate reductions. Data shows that the average effective property tax rate for a median-priced home in the largest city of each state dropped by more than 5% from 2023 to 2024, as reported by a Lincoln Institute of Land Policy analysis.

Meanwhile, increasing property values have widened the tax base in numerous regions. Since property taxes are linked to market value, escalating home prices can prompt higher tax bills even without rate hikes. U.S. housing market research has indicated that every 1% jump in median home value corresponds to about a 0.71% reduction in the effective tax rate, suggesting that strong price growth can cause rates to drop while local governments still collect more tax revenue.