Pennsylvania · County property tax · ACS 2024
Allegheny County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Allegheny County pays $3,451 a year, an effective rate of 1.52%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,451
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.52%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +73%
- vs U.S. average
- #10 of 67
- rank in PA
The verdict
Homeowners in Allegheny County pay a median $3,451 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.52%, more affordable than 10% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,451
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.52%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2821 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +73%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($227,600). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Pennsylvania. Population: 1,238,177. Owner-occupied homes: 355,674.
The median annual property tax in Allegheny County is $3,451, which is 4% higher than the Pennsylvania state average and 73% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.52% on a median home value of $227,600. Property taxes represent 4.4% of the median household income in this county.
Allegheny County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Allegheny County's 1.52% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 90% pay more.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Allegheny County pay a median annual property tax of $3,451, far above the national median and modestly above the Pennsylvania state median. On a $227,600 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.52% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Low among Pennsylvania counties by effective rate
Allegheny County ranks #10 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by effective rate (85% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Allegheny County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.4% of the $78,548 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Allegheny County as reported to the Census Bureau; your parcel can differ. Not tax, legal, or financial advice: check the county assessor or a qualified professional before decisions that depend on these numbers.
The rate gave way faster than almost anywhere
Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Allegheny County rose 40.8%, from $161,600 to $227,600. The effective rate fell 20.9% over the same span, a steeper move than in 85% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 11.4%, to $3,451. Where the rate drops this far and the bill rises anyway, what changed is the value the rate is applied to.
Effective rate is the published median bill divided by the published median home value, so the two multiply back to the bill exactly; the rate's movement here is derived from those two figures rather than read from the rounded published rate. Both are ACS 5-year survey estimates for the median owner-occupied household, compared across non-overlapping releases. They describe what the Census published, not a local policy, assessment, or exemption change.
How to read this county's bill
Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $3,098 to $3,451, a gain of 11%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 197,711 of 355,674 owner-occupied homes (55.6%) report annual real-estate taxes above $3,000. That band has no upper edge in the source, so the county median understates the burden carried by the plurality rather than describing it.
Both figures are in the national top quarter, and the median bill still equals only 4.4% of median household income. A high rate on high earnings produces a large dollar figure, and only the dollar figure tends to get quoted; the ratio above is the other half.
The share above is the median annual bill divided by median household income, a ratio of two county-level medians rather than a household-by-household figure.
What Allegheny County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Allegheny County homeowners, 197,711 of 355,674 owner-occupied homes (55.6%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 12.5% (44,299)
- $800 to $1,499 11.0% (39,287)
- $1,500 to $1,999 6.2% (22,203)
- $2,000 to $2,999 12.7% (45,123)
- $3,000 or more 55.6% (197,711)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
7,051 homes here (2.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Pennsylvania handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Allegheny County, mortgaged homeowners pay 23% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Allegheny County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Allegheny County's effective rate is higher than 85% of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania - ranking #10 of 67.
Where Allegheny County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.52% more affordable than 10% of 3,135 U.S. counties
Show national distribution
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more U.S. counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024
Among the highest-taxed counties in the country
At 1.52%, Allegheny County sits in the top 10% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. That is the rate, not the bill: a high rate on a modest home can still produce a smaller cheque than a low rate on an expensive one, which is why the $3,451 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Allegheny County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Allegheny County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 4.4% | - | - |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates. Tax-burden differences across rows reflect millage decisions, assessment-ratio practices, and the residential-vs-commercial mix of each tax base.
Allegheny County's STEEP · HEAVY lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Allegheny County's published figures (STEEP · HEAVY), a $227,600 median home carries a $3,451 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $345 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Pennsylvania.
Allegheny County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,451 +1.5% | 1.52% |
| 2023 | $3,399 +1.2% | 1.57% |
| 2022 | $3,358 +4.9% | 1.68% |
| 2021 | $3,200 +3.3% | 1.87% |
| 2020 | $3,098 | 1.92% |
Each row is a separate ACS 5-year release, and consecutive releases share four of their five survey years. The percentage beside each bill is therefore movement in the published estimate against the previous release, not a single year's tax change. The two releases largely describe the same households. For change over time, compare releases that do not overlap.
Allegheny County: tax takes 4.4% of income
Counties near Allegheny County's effective rate
On effective rate, Allegheny County sits nearest Pawnee County (NE), Washtenaw County (MI), Rice County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Johnson County (KY), Ware County (GA), Fond du Lac County (WI).
How peers are chosen
These are the nearest cross-state matches in the published Census data, not neighboring counties or recommendations. Peers are rebuilt with each data release; see the calculation method.
Similar effective rates
Similar published median-tax changes, 2020–2024
Allegheny County: only 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 32,500 of 616,670 returns from Allegheny County reported real estate taxes, averaging $8,851 - 39% of those reporters sat in the $200k+ AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
Allegheny County rate FAQs
- How does Allegheny County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Allegheny County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.52% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Allegheny County?
- Allegheny County, Pennsylvania scores F (16/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is housing pressure at C- (2.90×). The score compares published county medians to U.S. percentiles, it is not a personal bill and not advice to buy, sell, appeal, or relocate.
- What is the average property tax in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania?
- The median annual property tax in Allegheny County is $3,451, an effective rate of 1.52% on a $227,600 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Allegheny County?
- Property taxes in Allegheny County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.4% of the $78,548 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Allegheny County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Allegheny County climbed 11.4% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $3,098 to $3,451, a 4-year span. These are survey estimates covering five years each, so this compares the two releases furthest apart rather than consecutive ones, which overlap and would mostly measure the same households twice.
What to do with Allegheny County's STEEP rate
Allegheny County's $3,451 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Allegheny County ranks #10 of 67 Pennsylvania counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Pennsylvania overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Allegheny County's STEEP effective rate, then a disjoint out-of-state bill set so the two neighborhoods stay distinct.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.52%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,451/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Allegheny County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Allegheny County (STEEP · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP HEAVY
Chemung County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Allegheny County at $3,451/yr; rate 2.45% vs Allegheny County 1.52%.
Harford County, MD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,448/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.89% vs Allegheny County 1.52%.
Livingston County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,454/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.97% vs Allegheny County 1.52%.
Riley County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,466/yr (near-tied bill ABS $15); rate 1.46% vs Allegheny County 1.52%.
Pennsylvania county set
State ACS overview for every published Pennsylvania county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Allegheny County stamps STEEP · HEAVY - review notice deadlines before quoting the ACS median.
Data vintage and method
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Property tax data reflects median amounts paid by homeowners. Effective rates are calculated as median tax divided by median home value.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, county median real-estate taxes · 2024 Allegheny County (STEEP · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.