Why Elmhurst Has Relatively Low Tax Rate

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst has a low property tax rate compared to DuPage County’s other towns, a recent city analysis shows.

Of 34 towns, Elmhurst’s tax rate, including the total of all taxing bodies, is 27th highest.

The local school district takes up three-quarters of the local tax bill. Coming in second is the city and library, at 11 percent.

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One may think the relatively low tax rate means Elmhurst’s taxing bodies are fiscally conservative and watch their dollars better than most others.

That may be the case, in part. But the city’s analysis shows the towns with the lowest tax rates are among the wealthiest. They include Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Burr Ridge, Naperville and Oak Brook.

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Those with lower median household incomes typically have higher tax rates. They include Aurora, Hanover Park, Carol Stream, Woodridge and West Chicago.

A town like Elmhurst has a large property tax base relative to its population. That base includes a thriving downtown, a retail corridor on Route 83 and an industrial park that city officials say is in hot demand.

Elmhurst’s property tax base is 62 percent of Aurora’s. But Aurora’s population is four times Elmhurst’s. That means Aurora has far less tax base per person. By contrast, Elmhurst enjoys a bigger base on which to tax.

In Elmhurst, a property tax bill is about 2 percent of a home’s assessed value. In Aurora, the rate is 3 percent.

Woodridge is another example. Elmhurst’s tax base is more than twice Woodridge’s, with Woodridge’s population being three-quarters of Elmhurst’s. In Woodridge, a property tax bill amounts to 3.2 percent of a home’s assessed value.

Hinsdale taxpayers pay a lower rate than Elmhurst. On the DuPage County side of the wealthy village, a property tax bill works out to 1.7 percent of a home’s assessed value.

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Oak Brook is even better. The property tax bill is 1.3 percent of a home’s value. The village government levies no property tax, thanks to sales tax income in the retail-heavy town.

In Elmhurst, the tax bill for a $500,000 house, which is about the median, amounts to $10,100.


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