Westchester County property owners paid the highest property taxes in the country last year, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The median property tax bill in Westchester hit $8,422 in 2007, the highest of all mid- to large-sized counties, according to the 2007 American Community Survey. The median is the midpoint, meaning half of property owners paid more and half paid less. 
Rockland was sixth on the list nationwide, with a median property tax bill of $7,535. Putnam residents paid a median of $6,860, placing the county just outside of the top 10. By comparison, the median property tax bill for all of New York last year was $3,486. Nationwide, it was $1,838.

The annual American Community Survey provides detailed demographic, economic and social data for all areas with a population of 65,000 or more. 

Here are the top 20 highest-taxed counties in the country:
1) Westchester, N.Y.: $8,422
2) Hunterdon, N.J.: $8,224
3) Nassau, N.Y.: $8,153
4) Bergen, N.J.: $7,797
5) Somerset, N.J.: $7,597
6) Rockland, N.Y.: $7,535
7) Essex, N.J.: $7,535
8) Morris, N.J.: $7,281
9) Union, N.J.: $7,007
10) Passaic, N.J.: $6,928
11) Putnam, N.Y.: $6,860
12) Suffolk, N.Y.: $6,763
13) Monmouth, N.J.: $6,494
14) Lake, Ill.: $6,089
15) Hudson, N.J.: $6,007
16) Fairfield, Conn.: $5,962
17) Middlesex, N.J.: $5,861
18) Sussex, N.J.: $5,803
19) Mercer, N.J.: $5,734
20) Warren, N.J.: $5,673