Shadow Mountain Lane also jumped to the top of the tax rate list this year because of some big tax hikes among governments that serve it. The Ogden School District, for example, raised taxes by $188 on a $250,000 home. Also, the new Weber Dispatch 911 District started a new levy, which added $41.50 on a $250,000 home.

By comparison

"We never knew our taxes were the highest, because how do you compare that?" Alder said.

The Deseret Morning News was able to make such comparisons through computer-assisted analysis of state tax data.

For example, the paper compared property tax rates in Utah's 25 most populous communities. Ogden turned out to be the most expensive — with taxes ranging between $2,371 and $2,494 on a $250,000 home in various areas of the city, depending upon which special districts residents live within.

No. 2 on the list was Salt Lake City, where taxes in various parts of the city ranged from $1,873 to $2,183 on a $250,000 home. No. 3 was Kearns, with such taxes between $1,743 and $2,124.

Rounding out the Top 5 among the large communities were West Jordan, where such taxes were between $1,624 and $2,103; and West Valley City, where they range between $1,777 and $2,096.

The lowest taxes among the Top 25 most populous Utah communities were in St. George, where taxes were $1,234 on a $250,000 home; Pleasant Grove, from $1,452 to $1,455; and Orem, $1,456.

When looking at the entire state, some of the most scenic rural areas were among those with the lowest taxes. The lowest of the low was unincorporated Kane County, with just $851 levied on a $250,000 home.

Kane County Commission Chairman Mark Habeshaw, who lives in that unincorporated area, said, "I think we have pretty good services for what we pay. We've worked hard at balancing services and costs."

But he adds that pressure is building to raise taxes, with recent growth creating demand for such things as more law enforcement and fire protection. "Also, all of our officials are near the bottom of the pay scale, and we need to do something about that," he said.

The median tax rate among Utah's 1,200 separate tax areas (created by overlapping boundaries of its 500 local governments that charge property tax) would bring $1,651 in taxes on a $250,000 home. All those numbers may help Utahns gauge their relative tax burden.

Tax revenue pie

Overall property taxes being collected from Utah's local governments are up about 9 percent this year. Among the record $1.66 billion being collected, here is how much is going to different kinds of governments: