One of the issues the Texas governor’s race hinges on might well be property taxes. With the Nov. 8 election right around the corner, both candidates for governor have promised to lower the financial burden to Texas homeowners, though with different remedies.

“Texas is sitting on a $27 Billion SURPLUS because of our record-setting revenue,” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott recently posted on Twitter. “We will use much of it to deliver the largest property tax cut in Texas history.” 

That was a sentiment he put forth during a September debate against Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke. When it was his turn to address the matter, O’Rourke said he planned to increase the tax burden on commercial properties, as well as to add new revenue streams such as legal marijuana and expanding Medicaid. 

Texas' median effective residential property tax rate in 2022 is 1.81%, according to TaxRates.org. The median effective rate measures the percent of a home's market value that is collected by taxing authorities. Any tax exemptions on the property are figured into the rate.

Compared to Texas, California and Florida — states that are often compared to Texas because they are the three most-populous states — have lower effective property tax rates than Texas. California’s is 0.74% and Florida’s is 0.97%.

World Population Review reports that about two out of three Texans (64%) live in the 12 most populous of Texas' 254 counties. These regions include the major metropolitan areas of Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and El Paso. Homeowners in each of those population centers all have property tax rates higher than the statewide average, according to TaxRates.org.