West Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Berkeley County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Berkeley County pays $1,398 a year, an effective rate of 0.52%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,398
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.52%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -30%
- vs U.S. average
- #24 of 55
- rank in WV
The verdict
Homeowners in Berkeley County pay a median $1,398 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.52%, more affordable than 81% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,398
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.52%
- Effective rate on median home
- #580 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -30%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($266,300). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for West Virginia. Population: 129,514. Owner-occupied homes: 38,780.
The median annual property tax in Berkeley County is $1,398, which is 62% higher than the West Virginia state average and 30% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.52% on a median home value of $266,300. Property taxes represent 1.7% of the median household income in this county.
Berkeley County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Berkeley County's 0.52% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 81%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Berkeley County pay a median annual property tax of $1,398, well below the national median and far above the West Virginia state median. On a $266,300 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.52% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Berkeley County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.7% of the $80,815 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of West Virginia counties by effective rate
Berkeley County ranks #24 of 55 counties in West Virginia by effective rate (56% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Berkeley 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Berkeley County's effective rate fell 17.3% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 42.1%, leaving the median bill 17.6% higher at $1,398. That rate move is larger than the one in 74% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
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 $1,189 to $1,398, a gain of 18%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 14,517 of 38,780 owner-occupied homes (37.4%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
The most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 1.7% of median household income. Home values still drive the dollar figure, which is why the ratio above varies widely among counties that share this position.
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 Berkeley County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Berkeley County homeowners, 14,517 of 38,780 owner-occupied homes (37.4%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 15.9% (6,171)
- $800 to $1,499 37.4% (14,517)
- $1,500 to $1,999 18.7% (7,255)
- $2,000 to $2,999 16.6% (6,437)
- $3,000 or more 6.4% (2,495)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,905 homes here (4.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how West Virginia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Berkeley County, mortgaged homeowners pay 17% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Berkeley County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Berkeley County's effective rate is higher than 56% of the 55 counties in West Virginia - ranking #24 of 55.
Where Berkeley County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.52% Among the most affordable more affordable than 81% 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
Same rate as West Virginia, a larger bill
The effective rate here sits within 2% of the West Virginia median, yet the median bill runs 62% above it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to costlier housing produces $1,398 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Berkeley County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Berkeley County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Light income burden | 1.7% | - | - |
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.
Berkeley County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · West Virginia counties.
Berkeley County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,398 +3.3% | 0.52% |
| 2023 | $1,353 +4.6% | 0.55% |
| 2022 | $1,294 +5.7% | 0.56% |
| 2021 | $1,224 +2.9% | 0.62% |
| 2020 | $1,189 | 0.63% |
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.
Berkeley County: tax takes only 1.7% of income
Counties near Berkeley County's effective rate
On effective rate, Berkeley County sits nearest Warren County (VA), Shenandoah County (VA), King and Queen County (VA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Gallia County (OH), Montgomery County (MO), Cleveland County (NC).
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
Berkeley County: only 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 3,370 of 63,660 returns from Berkeley County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,258 - 44% 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 West Virginia
Berkeley County rate FAQs
- How does Berkeley County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Berkeley County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.52% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Berkeley County, West Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in Berkeley County is $1,398, an effective rate of 0.52% on a $266,300 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Berkeley County?
- Berkeley County, West Virginia scores B- (69/100) 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- (0.52%). 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Berkeley County?
- Property taxes in Berkeley County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.7% of the $80,815 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Berkeley County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Berkeley County climbed 17.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,189 to $1,398, 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 Berkeley County's QUIET rate
Berkeley County's $1,398 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 1.7% of Berkeley County's $80,815 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Berkeley 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: 0.52%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,398/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Berkeley County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Berkeley County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Fremont County, ID
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Berkeley County at $1,398/yr; rate 0.44% vs Berkeley County 0.52%.
Nacogdoches County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,399/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.83% vs Berkeley County 0.52%.
Berkeley County, SC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,400/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.45% vs Berkeley County 0.52%.
Grady County, OK
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,400/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.68% vs Berkeley County 0.52%.
West Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published West Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Berkeley 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 Berkeley County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.