Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Caroline County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Caroline County pays $1,597 a year, an effective rate of 0.52%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,597
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.52%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -20%
- vs U.S. average
- #106 of 133
- rank in VA
The verdict
Homeowners in Caroline County pay a median $1,597 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.52%, more affordable than 81% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,597
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.52%
- Effective rate on median home
- #580 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -20%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($307,700). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Virginia. Population: 32,098. Owner-occupied homes: 9,872.
The median annual property tax in Caroline County is $1,597, which is 43% lower than the Virginia state average and 20% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.52% on a median home value of $307,700. Property taxes represent 1.8% 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 0.52% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 81%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Virginia median
Homeowners in Caroline County pay a median annual property tax of $1,597, notably lower than the national median and well below the Virginia state median. On a $307,700 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.52% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Virginia counties by effective rate
Caroline County ranks #106 of 133 counties in Virginia by effective rate (20% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Caroline County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.8% of the $87,407 median household income.
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.
The rate gave way faster than almost anywhere
Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Caroline County rose 41.1%, from $218,000 to $307,700. The effective rate fell 19.0% over the same span, a steeper move than in 79% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 14.3%, to $1,597. 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 $1,397 to $1,597, 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 fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 2,948 of 9,872 owner-occupied homes (29.9%). 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 1.8% 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 Caroline County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Caroline County homeowners, 2,948 of 9,872 owner-occupied homes (29.9%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 15.1% (1,490)
- $800 to $1,499 29.9% (2,948)
- $1,500 to $1,999 17.6% (1,738)
- $2,000 to $2,999 19.6% (1,937)
- $3,000 or more 14.5% (1,434)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
325 homes here (3.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Virginia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Caroline County, mortgaged homeowners pay 12% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
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 20% of the 133 counties in Virginia - ranking #106 of 133.
Where Caroline 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
Below Virginia on both measures
Caroline County's effective rate runs 29% under the Virginia median and its bill 43% 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 $1,597 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.
Caroline County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Caroline County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 1.8% | - | - |
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 QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Virginia counties.
Caroline County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,597 +0.8% | 0.52% |
| 2023 | $1,585 +10.2% | 0.56% |
| 2022 | $1,438 -0.1% | 0.57% |
| 2021 | $1,440 +3.1% | 0.64% |
| 2020 | $1,397 | 0.64% |
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 takes only 1.8% of income
Counties near Caroline County's effective rate
On effective rate, Caroline County sits nearest Morgan County (UT), Washington County (TN), Unicoi County (TN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Young County (TX), Hancock County (ME), Greeley County (KS).
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 8% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,300 of 15,590 returns from Caroline County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,700 - 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
Caroline County rate FAQs
- How does Caroline County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Caroline County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.52% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Caroline County, Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in Caroline County is $1,597, an effective rate of 0.52% on a $307,700 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Caroline County?
- Caroline County, Virginia scores B- (66/100) 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 Caroline County?
- Property taxes in Caroline County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.8% of the $87,407 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Caroline County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Caroline County climbed 14.3% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,397 to $1,597, 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 QUIET rate
Inside Virginia, Caroline County's $1,597 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Virginia overview →
Income burden is light here: about 1.8% of Caroline County's $87,407 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Caroline 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: $1,597/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 (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Saline County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Caroline County at $1,597/yr; rate 1.69% vs Caroline County 0.52%.
Boundary County, ID
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,595/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.39% vs Caroline County 0.52%.
Campbell County, WY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,599/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.57% vs Caroline County 0.52%.
Davie County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,595/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.63% vs Caroline County 0.52%.
Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Caroline County stamps QUIET · 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 (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.