With a median commercial property tax rate of 0.9% for fiscal year 2025, Sussex ranked seventh-lowest in Waukesha County, BlockShopper.com reports.
The median for the county that year was 1.1%, placing Sussex 0.2 percentage points beneath the median rate.
Muskego shared the county’s 1.1% median rate during the same period.
Across Waukesha County’s 23 cities, commercial tax rates ranged from a low of 0.4% in Vernon to a high of 2.4% in Dousman.
The prior year, Sussex’s median commercial property tax rate stood at 1.1%, placing it 11th among county municipalities.
According to an analysis by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the average commercial property tax rate in 53 major U.S. cities was 1.76% in 2024. A $1 million property—including $200,000 in fixtures—faced an estimated yearly tax bill of about $21,060. Tax rates in those cities ranged from less than 1% up to 4%.
Property tax classification systems in some states result in commercial, industrial, and apartment properties often seeing higher effective tax rates than residential real estate. In certain areas, business tax rates can be several times higher than those on residential properties—as seen in Charleston, where commercial properties can be taxed at a rate about six times higher.
| Rank | City | Tax Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dousman | 2.4% |
| 2 | Butler | 1.9% |
| 3 | Hartland | 1.4% |
| 4 | Nashotah | 1.2% |
| 4 | Waukesha | 1.2% |
| 4 | Elm Grove | 1.2% |
| 4 | Mukwonago | 1.2% |
| 4 | Oconomowoc | 1.2% |
| 9 | Delafield | 1.1% |
| 9 | Wales | 1.1% |
| 9 | New Berlin | 1.1% |
| 9 | Brookfield | 1.1% |
| 13 | Oconomowoc Lake | 1% |
| 13 | Menomonee Falls | 1% |
| 13 | Pewaukee | 1% |
| 13 | Lannon | 1% |
| 17 | Muskego | 0.9% |
| 17 | Sussex | 0.9% |
| 19 | Big Bend | 0.8% |
| 20 | Eagle | 0.7% |
| 21 | Okauchee Lake | 0.6% |
| 22 | Merton | 0.5% |
| 23 | Vernon | 0.4% |
| Rank | Address | Tax Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | N/A | 3.2% |
| 2 | S. Corporate Circle | 1.2% |
| 3 | Executive Drive | 0.9% |
| 4 | W249N6424 Highway 164 | 0.7% |
Note: Some property addresses may not be available due to gaps in county assessor records.
This article uses information provided by BlockShopper.com. Source data is available here.
