Ecorse has earned the top ranking on MLive’s list of 25 Michigan cities and townships with the highest millage rates. A millage rate is the tax rate used to calculate local property taxes, based on the property's assessed value and the total taxable value of the property, according to Investopedia.
“In 2019, the city of Ecorse in Wayne County had a rate of 111.5 mills for homes in the Ecorse school district and 111 mills for homes in River Rouge schools,” MLive states. “The average 2019 taxable value for residential parcels was $11,264. The city’s homes have a median market value of $40,500 and a median property tax bill of $1,488," according to the Census Bureau’s estimate for 2014 to 2018.
Harper Woods (Wayne County) came in second place with a rate of 83.1 mills for homes in the Harper Woods school district and 81.9 for homes in Grosse Pointe schools. The city had an average residential taxable value of $27,304, median market value of $76,100 and median property tax bill of $2,610.
Third place on the list is River Rouge, also in Wayne County. The city had a rate of 82 mills in 2019, along with an average residential taxable value of $11,578. The city’s homes had a median market value of $34,200 and a median property tax bill of $1,628.
Rounding out Michigan’s top 10 cities and townships are Highland Park, Inkster, Center Line, Hazel Park, Royal Oak Township, Eastpointe and Detroit. These communities have millage rates ranging from 69.6 mills to 78.4 mills.
The remaining communities to make the list are Melvindale, Warren, Lansing, Ferndale, Dearborn, Southfield, Redford Township, Allen Park, Oak Park, Dearborn Heights, Madison Heights, Trenton, East Lansing, Grosse Pointe Woods and Muskegon Heights. They have millage rates ranging from 51.8 mills to 68 mills.
According to MLive, the total millage rates included in the list apply to owner-occupied homes. The state has an average millage rate of 42 mills, average residential property taxable value of $58,086 and median home value of $142,000.
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