Higher crime rates and poorer-rated schools kept Hamilton County among the worst counties in the state for return on the taxpayer buck. Nashville's Davidson County had the highest property tax rate, largely due to higher valued homes in Nashville, and therefore was rated the lowest by the online personal finance website Smart Assets.

The median annual property tax bill of $1,361, or 0.88 percent effective tax rate, in Hamilton County was 17.3 percent higher than the statewide average while the schools rated below average and the local crime rate was 34.5 percent above the average for all of Tennessee. Hamilton county had the third worst crime rate of any county in the state, behind only Shelby and Dyer counties in West Tennessee.

1. Davidson County

2. Madison County

3. Haywood County

4. Union County

5. Hamilton County

Source: Smartasset rating of places getting most value for property taxes in Tennessee