Maryland · County property tax · ACS 2024
Caroline County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Caroline County pays $2,619 a year, an effective rate of 0.90%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,619
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.90%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +31%
- vs U.S. average
- #12 of 24
- rank in MD
The verdict
Homeowners in Caroline County pay a median $2,619 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.90%, more affordable than 43% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,619
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.90%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1794 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +31%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($290,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Maryland. Population: 33,669. Owner-occupied homes: 8,978.
The median annual property tax in Caroline County is $2,619, which is 36% lower than the Maryland state average and 31% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.90% on a median home value of $290,100. Property taxes represent 3.8% of the median household income in this county.
Caroline County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Caroline County's 0.90% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 43%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Caroline County pay a median annual property tax of $2,619, well above the national median and well below the Maryland state median. On a $290,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.90% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Caroline County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.8% of the $68,457 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Maryland counties by effective rate
Caroline County ranks #12 of 24 counties in Maryland by effective rate (50% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Caroline 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
Caroline County's effective rate fell 14.4% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 35.9%, leaving the median bill 16.3% higher at $2,619. That rate move is larger than the one in 61% 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 $2,251 to $2,619, a gain of 16%. 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: 3,193 of 8,978 owner-occupied homes (35.6%) 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 the income and the rate here sit in the third quarter nationally, and the median bill is 3.8% of median household income. Two above-average figures pulling in opposite directions is why the rate on its own is a poor guide.
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 Caroline County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Caroline County homeowners, 3,193 of 8,978 owner-occupied homes (35.6%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 4.1% (366)
- $800 to $1,499 9.9% (890)
- $1,500 to $1,999 13.9% (1,246)
- $2,000 to $2,999 32.4% (2,905)
- $3,000 or more 35.6% (3,193)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
378 homes here (4.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Maryland handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Caroline County pay about the same bill, a 4% gap.
Caroline County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Caroline County's effective rate is higher than 50% of the 24 counties in Maryland - ranking #12 of 24.
Where Caroline County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.90% more affordable than 43% 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 Maryland, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 7% of the Maryland median, yet the median bill runs 36% below 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 cheaper housing produces $2,619 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Caroline County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Caroline County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.8% | - | - |
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.
Caroline County is UNDER · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Maryland counties.
Caroline County rate trail · UNDER
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,619 +4.2% | 0.90% |
| 2023 | $2,513 -0.2% | 0.92% |
| 2022 | $2,518 +8.0% | 0.97% |
| 2021 | $2,332 +3.6% | 1.04% |
| 2020 | $2,251 | 1.05% |
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.
Caroline County: tax-to-income at 3.8%
Counties near Caroline County's effective rate
On effective rate, Caroline County sits nearest Piscataquis County (ME), Oldham County (KY), Henderson County (KY).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Muscatine County (IA), White County (AR), Gregg 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
Caroline County: only 9% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,400 of 16,250 returns from Caroline County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,864 - 32% 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 Maryland
Caroline County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Caroline County?
- Caroline County, Maryland scores F (36/100) 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 mortgage premium at B+ (+$106). 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 Caroline County, Maryland?
- The median annual property tax in Caroline County is $2,619, an effective rate of 0.90% on a $290,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Caroline County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Caroline County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.90% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Caroline County?
- Property taxes in Caroline County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.8% of the $68,457 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Caroline County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Caroline County climbed 16.3% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,251 to $2,619, 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 Caroline County's UNDER rate
Caroline County's $2,619 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Caroline County ranks #12 of 24 Maryland counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Maryland overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Caroline County's UNDER 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: 0.90%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,619/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Caroline County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Caroline County (UNDER · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER MID
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Caroline County at $2,619/yr; rate 0.67% vs Caroline County 0.90%.
Paulding County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Caroline County at $2,619/yr; rate 0.80% vs Caroline County 0.90%.
Coweta County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,624/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 0.73% vs Caroline County 0.90%.
Fayette County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,611/yr (near-tied bill ABS $8); rate 0.89% vs Caroline County 0.90%.
Maryland county set
State ACS overview for every published Maryland county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Caroline County stamps UNDER · MID - 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 Caroline County (UNDER · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.