Pennsylvania · County property tax · ACS 2024
Carbon County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Carbon County pays $3,088 a year, an effective rate of 1.46%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,088
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.46%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +55%
- vs U.S. average
- #13 of 67
- rank in PA
The verdict
Homeowners in Carbon County pay a median $3,088 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.46%, more affordable than 12% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,088
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.46%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2750 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +55%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($211,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Pennsylvania. Population: 65,382. Owner-occupied homes: 20,824.
The median annual property tax in Carbon County is $3,088, which is 7% lower than the Pennsylvania state average and 55% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.46% on a median home value of $211,400. Property taxes represent 4.6% of the median household income in this county.
Carbon County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Carbon County's 1.46% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 12%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Carbon County pay a median annual property tax of $3,088, far above the national median and modestly below the Pennsylvania state median. On a $211,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.46% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Low among Pennsylvania counties by effective rate
Carbon County ranks #13 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by effective rate (81% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Carbon County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.6% of the $67,554 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Carbon 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 Carbon County rose 40.6%, from $150,400 to $211,400. The effective rate fell 18.6% over the same span, a steeper move than in 78% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 14.4%, to $3,088. 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 $2,700 to $3,088, a gain of 14%. 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: 10,531 of 20,824 owner-occupied homes (50.6%) 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.
The rate is in the national top quarter while earnings are only moderately above the midpoint, so the median bill claims 4.6% of median household income. A high rate is affordable only relative to something, and this is what it is relative to here.
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 Carbon County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Carbon County homeowners, 10,531 of 20,824 owner-occupied homes (50.6%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.8% (1,412)
- $800 to $1,499 10.2% (2,118)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.0% (2,288)
- $2,000 to $2,999 19.5% (4,062)
- $3,000 or more 50.6% (10,531)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
413 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 Carbon County, mortgaged homeowners pay 15% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Carbon County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Carbon County's effective rate is higher than 81% of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania - ranking #13 of 67.
Where Carbon County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.46% more affordable than 12% 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
Carbon County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Carbon County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 4.6% | - | - |
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.
Carbon County's STEEP · HEAVY lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Carbon County's published figures (STEEP · HEAVY), a $211,400 median home carries a $3,088 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $309 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Pennsylvania.
Carbon County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,088 +6.0% | 1.46% |
| 2023 | $2,914 +1.0% | 1.50% |
| 2022 | $2,886 +2.4% | 1.61% |
| 2021 | $2,818 +4.4% | 1.77% |
| 2020 | $2,700 | 1.80% |
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.
Carbon County: tax takes 4.6% of income
Counties near Carbon County's effective rate
On effective rate, Carbon County sits nearest Nassau County (NY), Jefferson County (NE), Baltimore city (MD).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Spink County (SD), Schoolcraft County (MI), Gasconade County (MO).
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
Carbon County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 950 of 32,650 returns from Carbon County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,285 - 36% 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 Pennsylvania
Carbon County rate FAQs
- How does Carbon County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Carbon County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.46% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Carbon County?
- Carbon County, Pennsylvania scores F (19/100) 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 D (3.13×). 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 Carbon County, Pennsylvania?
- The median annual property tax in Carbon County is $3,088, an effective rate of 1.46% on a $211,400 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Carbon County?
- Property taxes in Carbon County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.6% of the $67,554 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Carbon County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Carbon County climbed 14.4% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,700 to $3,088, 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 Carbon County's STEEP rate
Carbon County's $3,088 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Carbon County ranks #13 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 Carbon 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: 1.46%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,088/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Carbon County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Carbon County (STEEP · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP HEAVY
Aleutians West Census Area, AK
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,090/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.71% vs Carbon County 1.46%.
Durham County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,092/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 0.79% vs Carbon County 1.46%.
Jefferson County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,082/yr (near-tied bill ABS $6); rate 0.48% vs Carbon County 1.46%.
Isanti County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,081/yr (near-tied bill ABS $7); rate 1.01% vs Carbon County 1.46%.
Pennsylvania county set
State ACS overview for every published Pennsylvania county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Carbon 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 Carbon County (STEEP · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.