El Paso Property Tax Bills Rising, But Burden Remains Lowest in Texas

Property tax bills will arrive in El Paso mailboxes over the next few weeks as most local governments have raised taxes this year amid rising costs. Individual homeowners will see varying increases based on how much their property valuations climbed and what exemptions they may qualify for, but most El Paso residents are expected to pay more than last year.

The timing coincides with early voting for the November 3 general election, in which property taxes have become a central issue in City Council and County Commissioners Court races. El Paso voters regularly hear that their property tax rates rank among the highest in the nation and the highest in Texas—a claim that carries weight when bills arrive in October and payments come due in December or January.

But the reality is more complex. According to El Paso Matters, citing data from the Tax Foundation and U.S. Census Bureau, El Paso residents actually pay less in property taxes on average than residents of other major Texas cities. The median property tax bill in El Paso County consumed 6.1% of median household income in 2024, the most recent year with available data. Among Texas' 10 most populous counties, only Montgomery County in suburban Houston had a lower percentage.

The disconnect stems from how property taxes work. Tax bills depend on two factors: the tax rate and the property's taxable value. In Texas, these tend to move inversely—higher property values correlate with lower tax rates, and vice versa. El Paso has much higher tax rates than other populous counties but by far the lowest home values.

El Paso's median household income in 2024 was just under $60,000, between 17% and 51% lower than the state's other nine largest counties. When comparing actual dollar amounts, El Paso's median property tax payment was the lowest among the 10 largest Texas counties. Bexar County in San Antonio, the second lowest, had a median payment 23% higher than El Paso. Travis County, home to Austin, had a median payment 111% higher.

Elected officials and media outlets that cite El Paso's high tax rates without context present an incomplete picture. The more accurate comparison, according to El Paso Matters, is the median property tax payment itself—the figure that actually affects household budgets when bills arrive.