Upper Arlington’s property tax rate climbs to 2.5% for 2025, rising from 2% in 2016

Upper Arlington’s effective property tax rate rose from 2% in 2016 to 2.5% in 2025, marking an increase of 0.5 percentage points over a decade, as reported by BlockShopper.com.

Throughout Franklin County, the average effective property tax rate declined from 2.1% in 2016 to 1.6% in 2025, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points during the same timeframe. In 2025, Upper Arlington’s rate surpassed the county average.

Of the 37 cities reviewed in Franklin County, Upper Arlington experienced the highest jump in effective property tax rates during the period analyzed.

In 2025, Upper Arlington held the third spot among Franklin County cities for effective property tax rates, with its 2.5% rate notable compared to other jurisdictions in the area.

This rate is 2.8 times greater than the average U.S. effective property tax rate of 0.888% as of 2024.

Nationwide, U.S. home prices rose again in 2025, with the median price reaching approximately $447,000 in June, a 1.13% increase from a year before, according to Redfin. Their analysis shows a notable imbalance in supply and demand, with 36% more sellers than buyers—a difference of 508,715 homes. Redfin considers a market balanced when the seller and buyer counts are within 10% of each other.

Even when effective property tax rates go down or remain constant, rising home values can lead to larger tax bills for homeowners. The amount owed is based on both the assessment and the tax rate, so higher home values increase the tax base. The largest city in each state saw the average effective property tax rate on a median-priced home fall by over 5% from 2023 to 2024, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy reports.

Meanwhile, boosts in property values have increased tax bases in several regions. Since property taxes are based on market values, homes becoming more expensive can result in higher tax bills, even when rates drop or hold steady. Research in U.S. housing markets indicates that for each 1% increase in median home values, there is roughly a 0.71% drop in the effective tax rate, suggesting that robust home price growth can drive rates lower while still enabling local governments to collect more revenue.