Pennsylvania · County property tax · ACS 2024
Centre County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Centre County pays $3,386 a year, an effective rate of 1.05%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,386
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.05%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +70%
- vs U.S. average
- #55 of 67
- rank in PA
The verdict
Homeowners in Centre County pay a median $3,386 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.05%, more affordable than 32% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,386
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.05%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2145 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +70%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($323,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Pennsylvania. Population: 158,576. Owner-occupied homes: 36,467.
The median annual property tax in Centre County is $3,386, which is 2% higher than the Pennsylvania state average and 70% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.05% on a median home value of $323,500. Property taxes represent 4.6% of the median household income in this county.
Why Centre County's ACS bill runs high vs the U.S.
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Centre County pay a median annual property tax of $3,386, far above the national median and roughly in line with the Pennsylvania state median. On a $323,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.05% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
High among Pennsylvania counties by effective rate
Centre County ranks #55 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by effective rate (18% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Centre County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.6% of the $74,291 median household income.
Decision signal 4
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Centre County's 1.05% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 32%).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Centre 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
Centre County's effective rate fell 12.6% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 33.3%, leaving the median bill 16.6% higher at $3,386. That rate move is larger than the one in 51% 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 $2,905 to $3,386, a gain of 17%. 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: 20,212 of 36,467 owner-occupied homes (55.4%) 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 4.6% 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 Centre County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Centre County homeowners, 20,212 of 36,467 owner-occupied homes (55.4%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 7.0% (2,568)
- $800 to $1,499 10.1% (3,678)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.2% (3,365)
- $2,000 to $2,999 16.0% (5,849)
- $3,000 or more 55.4% (20,212)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
795 homes here (2.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Pennsylvania handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Centre 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.
Centre County's bill vs state & U.S. medians
Median annual bill bars around Centre County's HEAVY ACS 2024 figure.
Centre County's median bill is 2% above the Pennsylvania median and 70% above the U.S. median.
Same bill as Pennsylvania, a lower rate
The median bill lands within 2% of the Pennsylvania median while the effective rate runs 19% below it. The two offset each other: a gentler rate applied to more valuable housing arrives at roughly the state's own $3,386. A rate ranking would place this county far from the middle; the bill does not.
Centre County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Centre County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median 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.
Is Centre County's $3,386 median bill appeal-worthy?
At Centre County's $3,386 ACS median (HEAVY), a 10% assessment cut is worth about $339/yr before exemptions. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Pennsylvania.
Centre County bill trail · HEAVY
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,386 +3.2% | 1.05% |
| 2023 | $3,282 +1.2% | 1.07% |
| 2022 | $3,243 +7.5% | 1.12% |
| 2021 | $3,017 +3.9% | 1.19% |
| 2020 | $2,905 | 1.20% |
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.
Centre County: tax takes 4.6% of income
Counties near Centre County's median bill
On effective rate, Centre County sits nearest Williams County (OH), Huron County (OH), Harrison County (OH).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Towns County (GA), Beadle County (SD), DuPage County (IL).
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
Centre County: only 6% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 3,390 of 61,590 returns from Centre County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,489 - 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
Centre County bill FAQs
- How does Centre County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Centre County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.05% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Centre County?
- Property taxes in Centre County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.6% of the $74,291 median household income.
- What is the tax affordability score for Centre County?
- Centre County, Pennsylvania scores F (21/100) 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 F (1.05%). 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 Centre County, Pennsylvania?
- The median annual property tax in Centre County is $3,386, an effective rate of 1.05% on a $323,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Centre County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Centre County climbed 16.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,905 to $3,386, 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 Centre County's HEAVY bill
Centre County's $3,386 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Centre County ranks #55 of 67 Pennsylvania counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Pennsylvania overview →
Nationwide peers by median bill (then rate)
Bill-first peers for Centre County's HEAVY median, then a disjoint out-of-state rate set, not the same-state geography lattice.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.05%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,386/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Centre County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Centre County (PAR · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR HEAVY
Collier County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Centre County at $3,386/yr; rate 0.63% vs Centre County 1.05%.
Steuben County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Centre County at $3,386/yr; rate 2.46% vs Centre County 1.05%.
Schuyler County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,390/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.97% vs Centre County 1.05%.
Dunn County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,380/yr (near-tied bill ABS $6); rate 1.39% vs Centre County 1.05%.
Pennsylvania county set
State ACS overview for every published Pennsylvania county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Centre County stamps PAR · HEAVY - 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 Centre County (PAR · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.