The deductions many Long Islanders take on federal taxes

Nassau County ranks sixth in the nation and Suffolk is 15th in the percentage of home owners paying more than $10,000 in property taxes, according to Attom Data Solutions, a company that tracks real estate data. Roughly half the homes in Nassau and nearly a third of the homes in Suffolk surpass the $10,000 level for property taxes, one of the deductions being altered in the tax legislation before Congress.

Many of the counties that rank higher than Nassau or Suffolk have a smaller number of homes overall. Here’s how they break down.

Homes over or under the $10,000 property tax level

County, State$0 – $10,000Over $10,000Percent over $10,000
Westchester, NY45,294125,19073.4%
Luna, NM4,86110,69168.7%
Rockland, NY29,09043,62260.0%
Mathews, VA2,2332,66554.4%
New York, NY56,99563,02352.5%
NASSAU, NY172,745176,94650.6%
Bergen, NJ130,142126,09649.2%
Essex, NJ79,40174,54048.4%
Union, NJ73,49957,26043.8%
Morris, NJ93,83762,26939.9%
Passaic, NJ66,98443,49939.4%
Hunterdon, NJ27,42016,04236.9%
Somerset, NJ67,26139,16136.8%
Marin, CA50,01826,78134.9%
SUFFOLK, NY316,744155,59232.9%
Fairfield, CT177,99276,57330.1%
Santa Clara, CA300,693121,18628.7%
Lake, IL157,47661,16328.0%
Monmouth, NJ160,28958,85226.9%
Mercer, NJ82,99828,32825.4%

State and local tax deductions on LI by income bracket

More than 250,000 Long Islanders making between $100,000 and $200,000 take deductions on their federal returns for state and local taxes, according to data provided by the IRS. The average deduction taken in that income bracket is $17,868 in Nassau County and $16,786 in Suffolk County. That income group is the largest taking such deductions, although filers in other income brackets also take advantage of the deductions. (You can read more about what the new tax system might mean for Long Island home owners.


Taxpayers in general

While the $100,000 to $200,000 bracket was the largest for taking state and local deductions, the largest group overall for taxpayers on Long Island are those making up to $25,000 a year. (Not included in these charts and tables is a small percentage of tax filers (9,640 in Nassau and 7,670 in Suffolk), who had adjusted gross incomes of less than $1 and paid no tax.)


Property tax deductions

Nearly matching the breakdown on those taking state and local tax deductions, the largest group on Long Island taking property tax deductions on their federal returns is the $100,000 to $200,000 bracket.


Mortgage interest deductions

Again, nearly matching the breakdown on those taking state and local tax deductions, the largest group on Long Island taking mortgage interest deductions is also the $100,000 to $200,000 bracket.


Details on what people earn or deduct, on average, in each bracket

The category of state and local taxes includes state and local income tax, sales tax and real estate, or property taxes, as well as some smaller categories of tax.

INCOME REPORTEDNassau
returns
Nassau average
amount
Suffolk
returns
Suffolk average
amount
  $1 up to $25,000 212,040 $11,479 246,610 $11,988
  $25,000 under $50,000 124,030 $37,348 153,660 $37,075
  $50,000 under $75,000 89,460 $62,671 100,650 $62,466
  $75,000 under $100,000 66,900 $87,858 73,750 $87,800
  $100,000 under $200,000 137,430 $141,746 141,070 $139,762
  $200,000 or more 74,480 $585,426 53,410 $506,144
DEDUCTIONS TAKEN FOR: Nassau
returns
Nassau average
amount
Suffolk
returns
Suffolk average
amount
All state and local tax
  $1 up to $25,000 21,550 $8,092 23,510 $7,130
  $25,000 under $50,000 39,620 $8,387 45,880 $7,769
  $50,000 under $75,000 49,420 $10,105 55,360 $9,474
  $75,000 under $100,000 49,870 $12,460 54,860 $11,749
  $100,000 under $200,000 126,570 $17,868 128,920 $16,786
  $200,000 or more 73,720 $63,987 52,810 $52,945
  All income brackets 360,750 $23,856 361,340 $18,413
State/local income tax    
  $1 up to $25,000 7,270 $1,885 8,460 $1,449
  $25,000 under $50,000 26,620 $1,975 31,180 $1,841
  $50,000 under $75,000 39,620 $3,199 44,680 $3,025
  $75,000 under $100,000 42,630 $4,557 46,720 $4,382
  $100,000 under $200,000 116,650 $7,909 118,080 $7,616
  $200,000 or more 72,010 $46,200 51,110 $38,623
  All income brackets 304,800 $15,213 300,230 $10,934
State/local general sales tax    
  $1 up to $25,000 12,550 $614 13,180 $707
  $25,000 under $50,000 11,950 $911 13,480 $1,181
  $50,000 under $75,000 9,110 $1,172 9,930 $1,393
  $75,000 under $100,000 6,710 $1,422 7,600 $1,601
  $100,000 under $200,000 9,180 $1,859 10,130 $2,083
  $200,000 or more 1,530 $2,940 1,560 $3,281
  All income brackets 51,030 $1,183 55,880 $1,386
Real estate tax    
  $1 up to $25,000 16,650 $9,020 18,150 $7,840
  $25,000 under $50,000 27,490 $9,514 33,540 $8,197
  $50,000 under $75,000 36,630 $9,651 43,920 $8,369
  $75,000 under $100,000 40,150 $10,203 47,090 $8,935
  $100,000 under $200,000 112,350 $11,563 118,640 $10,322
  $200,000 or more 69,530 $19,653 50,390 $16,028
  All income brackets 302,800 $12,683 311,730 $10,387
Mortgage interest    
  $1 up to $25,000 8,900 $7,270 10,920 $7,260
  $25,000 under $50,000 17,530 $7,810 23,730 $7,434
  $50,000 under $75,000 25,870 $8,077 33,510 $7,598
  $75,000 under $100,000 30,260 $8,722 37,810 $8,246
  $100,000 under $200,000 91,550 $10,340 101,070 $9,811
  $200,000 or more 55,410 $15,168 41,960 $14,077
  All income brackets 229,520 $10,725 249,000 $9,656

IRS data is for the 2015 tax year, the latest available. Attom data is for current year. JavaScript charts via amCharts.