In fiscal year 2025, Escondido’s median commercial property tax rate reached 1.1%, marking the highest among San Diego County cities, according to BlockShopper.com.
The countywide median was 0.7% for the same period, placing Escondido 0.4 percentage points above the median.
Across the county’s 11 cities, the median rate spanned from 0.4% in Carlsbad to 1.1% in Escondido.
Escondido’s median commercial property tax rate was 0.5% in fiscal year 2024, ranking ninth in the county during that period.
According to a Lincoln Institute of Land Policy analysis, the average commercial property tax rate across 53 major U.S. cities was 1.76% in 2024. The study estimated that a $1 million property, which includes $200,000 in fixtures, would incur approximately $21,060 in annual taxes. Rates varied greatly, from under 1% in some cities to up to 4% in others.
Many states use classification systems leading to higher effective property tax rates for commercial, industrial and apartment buildings compared with residential properties. In some places, businesses may see tax rates several times higher than residential properties. For instance, Charleston’s business tax rate can reach around six times the residential rate.
| Rank | City | Tax Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Escondido | 1.1% |
| 2 | Santee | 1% |
| 3 | El Cajon | 0.8% |
| 4 | Encinitas | 0.7% |
| 4 | National City | 0.7% |
| 4 | La Mesa | 0.7% |
| 4 | San Diego | 0.7% |
| 8 | Oceanside | 0.6% |
| 9 | Buena | 0.5% |
| 9 | Poway | 0.5% |
| 11 | Carlsbad | 0.4% |
| Rank | Address | Tax Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1122 S. Escondido Blvd. | 1.2% |
| 1 | 1612 S. Escondido Blvd. | 1.2% |
| 1 | 312 S. Juniper St. | 1.2% |
| 4 | 237 E Valley Parkway | 1.1% |
| 4 | 1815 Valley Parkway E. | 1.1% |
| 6 | 1848 S. Escondido Blvd. | 0.8% |
Note: Some property addresses may be incomplete or missing due to county assessor data limitations.
BlockShopper.com provided the information in this article. The original source data is available here.