Property tax delinquency reaches highest level since 2017

The national property tax delinquency rate has risen to 5.2% so far in 2026, up from 4.2% in 2025, according to Cotality’s 2026 Property Tax Delinquency Report. The report analyzes mortgages where homeowners pay property taxes directly to their local taxing authority, drawing on approximately 15 million tax reporting events across 8 million non-escrowed mortgages. While 2026 year-to-date rate is the highest since 2017, it remains below the long-term average of 5.4% and partly reflects seasonal patterns, Cotality said. “Property tax delinquency has moved from the lowest level in our data to the highest since 2017 in a matter of months,” said Sean Graham, senior vice president of servicing and payment solutions at Cotality. “Property taxes are one of the largest costs of homeownership, and a rise of this size tells us more households are finding those bills harder to manage.” Mississippi reports most delinquencies for 13th time in 14 years Mississippi had the highest delinquency rate in 2025 at 15.1%, nearly three times the national rate, and has ranked highest in 13 of the 14 years since 2012. Kansas (9.6%), New Jersey (9.5%), Louisiana (9.0%) and Massachusetts (8.9%) complete the t...