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Reported by us | Rochester

Rochester tax rate rises to $10.62, its first increase since 2017

Higher home values and a slightly higher rate put the average single-family bill at $6,957, up $212 from last year. Rochester keeps one rate for homes and businesses and is the first South Coast community with a fiscal 2027 rate in the state data.

By the SC360 Business and Real Estate Desk | Published Oct. 25, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 25, 2026, 10:28 a.m. ET

ROCHESTER Rochester's property tax rate rose 3 cents to $10.62 per $1,000 of assessed value for fiscal 2027, the town's first rate increase since fiscal 2017, and the owner of an average single-family home will pay about $212 more this year, state Department of Revenue figures show.

The average single-family home in Rochester is valued at $655,097 this year and carries a tax bill of $6,957, up from $6,745 last year, an increase of about 3%. The average value rose $18,168, or about 2.9%, across 1,850 single-family homes, 10 more than a year ago.

Rochester uses one rate for every class of property. Homes, businesses, industrial land and personal property all pay $10.62, as they all paid $10.59 in fiscal 2026. The Select Board scheduled the fiscal 2027 classification hearing with the tax assessor for its Sept. 21 meeting. State law requires that hearing, and the board's vote on how the levy is shared among property classes, before the commissioner of revenue can approve a town's rate.

Nine years of falling rates end

The rate had come down every year since fiscal 2017, when it was $14.39. It fell to $14.11 in fiscal 2018, $14.00 in 2019, $13.48 in 2020, $13.37 in 2021, $12.74 in 2022, $11.87 in 2023, $11.06 in 2024, $10.82 in 2025 and $10.59 in 2026.

Bills depend on values as well as the rate, and a lower rate has not meant a smaller bill. The average single-family bill went from $6,603 in fiscal 2025 to $6,745 in fiscal 2026 even as the rate dropped 23 cents. From fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2027, the average bill is up $354.

Where the added tax comes from

Under Proposition 2 1/2, a town's levy limit can grow 2.5% a year, plus new growth, the tax on new construction and other added value, plus any increase voters approve. Rochester's limit for fiscal 2026 was $16,700,144, so the 2.5% step alone is worth about $417,500 this year.

For fiscal 2027, Rochester's new growth value is $24,609,220, which adds $260,611 to the levy limit, up from $234,148 the year before. Homes made up $13,457,740 of that value, or about 55%, compared with about 81% of last year's $21,640,280.

Across the South Coast

As of Oct. 25, Rochester is the only one of the 15 South Coast towns and cities with a fiscal 2027 rate in the Department of Revenue's tax rate data, and one of 23 communities statewide. For comparison, fiscal 2026 residential rates in neighboring towns were $8.87 in Marion, $10.24 in Mattapoisett and $8.56 in Wareham.

Bills and questions

The town's Tax Collector's Office said Oct. 9 that real estate and personal property tax bills had been mailed. Personal property taxes are due Nov. 2 and real estate taxes are due Nov. 6. Last year's bills, mailed Oct. 1, 2025, were due in two installments, Nov. 3, 2025, and May 1, 2026.

The collector's office says it does not set values or handle abatements. Questions about assessments go to the Board of Assessors at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way, 508-763-3871. Karen Trudeau, the director of assessing, is at extension 126. The office is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.

An owner who believes a property is valued too high may apply to the Board of Assessors for an abatement. The town's abatement application for real estate and personal property is posted on the Board of Assessors page.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

Every fact comes from public records: the Department of Revenue Division of Local Services Tax Rates by Class, Average Single Family Tax Bill and New Growth reports (data current as of Oct. 25), the Town of Rochester's Sept. 21 Select Board agenda, its Oct. 9 tax bill notice, its Tax Collector, Board of Assessors directory and tax rate history pages, and Mass. General Laws c. 59, s. 21C and c. 40, s. 56. We read them on Oct. 25. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar: Sept. 21, 2026 is a Monday, Nov. 2 is a Monday and Nov. 6 is a Friday. The $212 and $354 bill changes, the $18,168 value change, the percentages and the roughly $417,500 figure (2.5% of $16,700,144) are our arithmetic from those figures. No other news outlet is a source for this story.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (11)

  1. Tax Rates by Class (Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services, Data Analytics and Resources Bureau)Data current as of 10/25/2026. Rochester (DOR code 250): FY2027 residential, commercial, industrial and personal property $10.62; FY2026 $10.59; FY2025 $10.82; FY2024 $11.06; FY2023 $11.87; FY2022 $12.74; FY2021 $13.37; FY2020 $13.48; FY2019 $14.00; FY2018 $14.11; FY2017 $14.39. Every other South Coast community shows no FY2027 rate; FY2026 residential: Marion $8.87, Mattapoisett $10.24, Wareham $8.56. Statewide, 23 communities show a FY2027 rate. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  2. Average Single Family Tax Bill (Division of Local Services)Rochester: FY2027 single-family values $1,211,929,600, 1,850 parcels, average value $655,097, average bill $6,957; FY2026 $1,171,948,900, 1,840 parcels, $636,929, $6,745; FY2025 $1,120,413,500, 1,836 parcels, $610,247, $6,603. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  3. New Growth (Division of Local Services)Rochester: FY2027 residential new growth value $13,457,740 ($142,517 applied), total new growth value $24,609,220 ($260,611 applied), residential 54.69% of total, prior year's levy limit $16,700,144; FY2026 total $21,640,280 ($234,148 applied), residential 80.74%, prior year's levy limit $16,066,302. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  4. Rochester Select Board meeting agenda, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, 6 p.m. (revised; received by the assistant town clerk Sept. 17, 2026)Town of Rochester. People on the agenda: Tax Assessor: Classification Hearing FY 2027, discussion and possible vote. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  5. News Flash: Tax Bill Reminder (posted Oct. 9, 2026)Town of Rochester Tax Collector's Office: real estate and personal property tax bills have been mailed; personal property taxes due Monday, Nov. 2, 2026; real estate taxes due Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  6. Tax Collector department pageTown of Rochester. Fiscal Year 2026 real estate and personal property bills mailed Oct. 1, 2025; first payment due Nov. 3, 2025; second payment due May 1, 2026; the Tax Collector's Office does not determine property values or process abatements; questions go to the Board of Assessors. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  7. Staff Directory: Board of AssessorsTown of Rochester. 1 Constitution Way; 508-763-3871; hours Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Karen Trudeau, MAA, Director of Assessing, ext. 126. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  8. Board of Assessors department pageTown of Rochester. Links to the Abatement Application for Real Estate and Personal Property, forms and the online assessment database. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  9. Board of Assessors: Current Tax Rate and HistoryTown of Rochester. Rates FY1994 to FY2026, including FY2017 $14.39, FY2016 $14.01, FY2026 $10.59; matches the state figures. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  10. Mass. General Laws c. 59, s. 21C (Proposition 2 1/2)Massachusetts Legislature. Paragraph (f): total taxes may not exceed 102.5% of the prior year's levy limit, plus amounts voters approve under paragraph (g), plus the prior year's rate times new or increased value (new growth). Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  11. Mass. General Laws c. 40, s. 56 (classification)Massachusetts Legislature. Selectmen annually determine the percentages of the levy borne by each class after a public hearing and adopt a residential factor; the commissioner shall not approve the tax rate until the hearing is held and the percentages adopted. Read Oct. 25, 2026.

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