— Sometimes it’s not a good thing to be Number 1.

On a list of property tax averages over a five-year period, Grady County is 2,124th of 2,922 counties surveyed nationally by the Tax Foundation.

The survey period reflects the years 2005 through 2009.

During that time, the average property tax bill in the county was $582 to $648, while median home values in Grady County ranged from $94,955 to $103,465 and median household income averaged $49,783 to $55,835.

Property taxes viewed as a percentage of home value were 0.58 to 0.66 percent. As a percentage of income, the range was 1.07 to 1.25 percent.



TULSA COUNTY

Tulsa County was the most costly in Oklahoma in terms of property tax rates, with annual bills ranging from $1,249 to $1,271. The range of median home values was $119,808 to $121,992, with median household income between $60,486 and $61,912.

As a percentage of median home value, the property taxes were between 1.03 and 1.05 percent.

Property tax bills represented between 2.03 and 2.09 percent of median household income.

Tulsa County’s property taxes were the 963rd most expensive on the survey.



CIMARRON COUNTY



The state’s least expensive county in terms of property taxes was Cimarron County in 2,825th place. There tax bills ran $172 to $218 and median home value ranged from $43,301 to $54,249. Median household income was $31,845 to $41,049. Property taxes represented 0.34 to 0.46 percent of  home value and 0.45 to 0.63 percent of household income.

Among counties adjacent to Grady County, the survey found:

• Canadian County, ranked 1,141st, average property tax range $1,098 to $1,156, median home value range $122,662 to $127,538, median household income range $65,500 to $68,834, property tax percentage of median home value 0.87 to 0.93 percent, property tax percentage of median household income 1.62 to 1.74 percent;

• Comanche County, ranked 1,847th, average property tax range $726 to $766, median home value range $91,438 to $$95,962, median household income range $55,092 to $58,114, property tax percentage of median home value 0.77 to 0.83 percent, property tax percentage of median household income 1.27 to 1.37 percent;

• McClain County, ranked 2,044th, average property tax range $598 to $704, median home value range $102,831 to $113,969, median household income range $56,630 to $62,028, property tax percentage of median home value 0.54 to 0.66 percent, property tax percentage of median household income 1.0 to 1.2 percent;

• Stephens County, ranked 2,486th, average property tax range $388 to $444, median home value range $74,990 to $80,010, median household income range $46,864 to $51,466, property tax percentage of median home value 0.5 to 0.58 percent, property tax percentage of median household income 0.78 to 0.92 percent;

• Garvin County, ranked 2,609th, average property tax range $336 to $372, median home value range $68,237 to $74,363, median household income range $37,544 to $42,632, property tax percentage of median home value 0.47 to 0.53 percent, property tax percentage of median household income 0.81 to 0.95 percent; and

• Caddo County, ranked 2,749th, average property tax range $260 to $298, median home value range $59,217 to $65,583, median household income range $40,111 to $44,095, property tax percentage of median home value 0.41 to 0.49 percent, property tax percentage of median household income 0.61 to 0.71 percent.



COSTLIEST IN NATION



The most costly county in the nation, property tax-wise, was Hunterdon County, N.J., where average tax bills ranged from $8,102 to $8,330 and the range of median home values was $446,217 to $457,983.

However, the county’s median household income was just $110,341 to $114,607, which put property taxes at a whopping 7.13 to 7.47 percent of median household income and 1.79 to 1.85 percent of median home value.



AT THE BOTTOM



Coming in at the bottom of the country’s descending property tax list was the Bethel Census Area in Alaska at $102 to $108.

Median home value was $110,756 to $127,644, with property taxes reflecting 0.08 to 0.1 percent of those numbers.

Median household income ranged from $50,261 to $59,489 and the percentage of that as property taxes was between 0.17 and 0.21 percent.