Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Amherst County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Amherst County pays $975 a year, an effective rate of 0.46%, far below the U.S. average.
- $975
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.46%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -51%
- vs U.S. average
- #123 of 133
- rank in VA
The verdict
Homeowners in Amherst County pay a median $975 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.46%, more affordable than 88% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $975
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.46%
- Effective rate on median home
- #389 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -51%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($212,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Virginia. Population: 31,485. Owner-occupied homes: 10,262.
The median annual property tax in Amherst County is $975, which is 65% lower than the Virginia state average and 51% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.46% on a median home value of $212,400. Property taxes represent 1.4% of the median household income in this county.
Amherst County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Amherst County's 0.46% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 88%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Amherst County pay a median annual property tax of $975, far below the national median and far below the Virginia state median. On a $212,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.46% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Virginia counties by effective rate
Amherst County ranks #123 of 133 counties in Virginia by effective rate (8% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Amherst County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.4% of the $68,724 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Amherst 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 Amherst County rose 32.8%, from $159,900 to $212,400. The effective rate fell 19.4% over the same span, a steeper move than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 7.0%, to $975. 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
Very little moved here between 2020 and 2024: the typical bill went from $911 to $975, a change of 7%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 3,935 of 10,262 owner-occupied homes (38.3%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Incomes run above the national midpoint and the rate is in the lowest quarter, leaving the median bill at 1.4% of median household income. Both figures move in the same direction here, so the ratio above is not pulled in two directions the way it is in most counties.
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 Amherst County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Amherst County homeowners, 3,935 of 10,262 owner-occupied homes (38.3%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 33.6% (3,449)
- $800 to $1,499 38.3% (3,935)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.8% (1,206)
- $2,000 to $2,999 8.2% (842)
- $3,000 or more 3.8% (389)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
441 homes here (4.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Virginia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Amherst County pay about the same bill, a 7% gap.
Amherst County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Amherst County's effective rate is higher than 8% of the 133 counties in Virginia - ranking #123 of 133.
Where Amherst County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.46% Among the most affordable more affordable than 88% 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
Below Virginia on both measures
Amherst County's effective rate runs 37% under the Virginia median and its bill 65% under. Both sitting on the same side means the gap is not a valuation artefact: a county can post a low rate purely because its homes are expensive, but then the bill rises to meet the state. Here it does not, so the $975 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Virginia norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Amherst County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Amherst County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Light income burden | 1.4% | - | - |
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.
Amherst County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Virginia counties.
Amherst County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $975 -2.2% | 0.46% |
| 2023 | $997 +3.0% | 0.51% |
| 2022 | $968 +6.7% | 0.53% |
| 2021 | $907 -0.4% | 0.55% |
| 2020 | $911 | 0.57% |
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.
Amherst County: tax takes only 1.4% of income
Counties near Amherst County's effective rate
On effective rate, Amherst County sits nearest Wasatch County (UT), Daggett County (UT), Stewart County (TN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Greene County (MS), Hamilton County (TX), Marion County (TX).
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
Amherst County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 530 of 14,370 returns from Amherst County reported real estate taxes, averaging $1,885 - 38% of those reporters sat in the $100-200k 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 Virginia
Amherst County rate FAQs
- How does Amherst County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Amherst County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.46% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Amherst County?
- Amherst County, Virginia scores A- (80/100) 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 rate relief at A (0.46%). 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 Amherst County, Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in Amherst County is $975, an effective rate of 0.46% on a $212,400 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Amherst County?
- Property taxes in Amherst County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.4% of the $68,724 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Amherst County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Amherst County ticked up 7.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $911 to $975, 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 Amherst County's QUIET rate
Amherst County's $975 median bill sits well below the U.S. median - still size a parcel estimate; local millage and exemptions move the real bill. Estimate your bill →
Income burden is light here: about 1.4% of Amherst County's $68,724 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Amherst County's QUIET 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: 0.46%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $975/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Amherst County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Amherst County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Hyde County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Amherst County at $975/yr; rate 0.79% vs Amherst County 0.46%.
Pike County, MS
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Amherst County at $975/yr; rate 0.88% vs Amherst County 0.46%.
Todd County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Amherst County at $975/yr; rate 1.81% vs Amherst County 0.46%.
Adams County, MS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $974/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.90% vs Amherst County 0.46%.
Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Amherst County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - how assessed value and millage become the ACS median bill.
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 Amherst County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.