Property Taxes in Atlantic City
Atlantic City's property tax picture is genuinely distinctive, even within New Jersey's own already-highest-in-the-nation statewide burden: the city's own median effective rate runs approximately 3.45%, shaped in real, structural part by a legislated casino PILOT program that excludes the city's nine casinos from the ordinary ratable base entirely -- a program scheduled to expire at the end of 2026 with real, unresolved implications for the city's finances beyond that date.
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Learn moreAtlantic City's Own Rate Runs Above Even New Jersey's Already-High Statewide Average
Atlantic City's median effective property tax rate ran approximately 3.45% per one aggregator -- above New Jersey's own statewide median of approximately 2.88% (itself the highest average of any US state, per this project's New Jersey research context) and well above the national median of approximately 1.02%. The local purpose tax rate ran $1.415 per $100 of assessed valuation as of 2025 county records, excluding the separate local library tax.
The Casino PILOT Program: A Real, Distinctive Structural Driver
Since 2017, Atlantic City's nine casinos have paid property taxes through a legislated PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) program, calculated from their collective prior-year gross gaming revenue rather than ordinary property assessment. The program was enacted specifically to end a cycle of costly casino assessment appeals that had drained city revenue and shrunk the taxable base in the years before 2017. Because casino properties are excluded from the ordinary ratable base under this program, the city's remaining non-casino property owners shoulder a proportionally larger share of the municipal tax levy than the raw citywide property value alone would suggest.
A Real, Current 2026 Tax Increase -- Ending a Six-Year Streak of Decreases
Atlantic City is raising property taxes in 2026, ending six straight years of decreases, after the state directed municipalities seeking discretionary state aid to increase their 2025 tax levy by 2% for 2026 -- a real, current policy constraint rather than a purely locally-initiated increase.
A Real, Unresolved Question: What Happens When the PILOT Program Expires
The current casino PILOT program is scheduled to end at the end of calendar year 2026. This record does not speculate about what replaces it -- but buyers and current owners should understand that the program's expiration is a real, current, and directly relevant fact for the city's property-tax structure going forward, worth monitoring directly through the city and state as 2026 concludes.
Confirm a Specific Property's Current Tax Bill Directly
Given the real, disclosed complexity of Atlantic City's tax structure (the PILOT program, the 2026 levy increase, and genuine parcel-level assessment variation), buyers and current owners should confirm a specific property's actual, current property tax bill directly with the Atlantic City Tax Assessor's office rather than relying on the citywide median rate alone.
Key takeaways
- Atlantic City's own median effective property tax rate (~3.45%) runs above even New Jersey's already-highest-in-the-nation statewide average (~2.88%).
- The casino PILOT program (since 2017) excludes Atlantic City's nine casinos from the ordinary property-tax base, shifting a proportionally larger burden onto remaining property owners.
- Atlantic City is raising property taxes in 2026, ending a six-year streak of decreases, after a state-directed 2% minimum levy increase for municipalities seeking discretionary aid.
- The casino PILOT program is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026 -- a real, unresolved question for the city's post-2026 tax structure worth monitoring directly.
- Confirm a specific property's actual current tax bill directly with the Atlantic City Tax Assessor's office rather than relying on the citywide median alone.
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