Georgia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Chatham County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Chatham County pays $2,541 a year, an effective rate of 0.84%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,541
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.84%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +27%
- vs U.S. average
- #89 of 158
- rank in GA
The verdict
Homeowners in Chatham County pay a median $2,541 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.84%, more affordable than 47% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,541
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.84%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1663 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +27%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($302,700). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Georgia. Population: 300,879. Owner-occupied homes: 68,319.
The median annual property tax in Chatham County is $2,541, which is 9% higher than the Georgia state average and 27% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.84% on a median home value of $302,700. Property taxes represent 3.6% of the median household income in this county.
Chatham County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Chatham County's 0.84% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 47%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Chatham County pay a median annual property tax of $2,541, well above the national median and modestly above the Georgia state median. On a $302,700 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.84% 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 Chatham County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.6% of the $71,097 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Georgia counties by effective rate
Chatham County ranks #89 of 158 counties in Georgia by effective rate (44% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Chatham 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
Chatham County's effective rate fell 15.7% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 44.7%, leaving the median bill 22.0% higher at $2,541. That rate move is larger than the one in 67% 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 $2,083 to $2,541, a gain of 22%. 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: 26,455 of 68,319 owner-occupied homes (38.7%) 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 3.6% 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 Chatham County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Chatham County homeowners, 26,455 of 68,319 owner-occupied homes (38.7%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 9.9% (6,782)
- $800 to $1,499 15.6% (10,643)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.8% (8,077)
- $2,000 to $2,999 16.9% (11,577)
- $3,000 or more 38.7% (26,455)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
4,785 homes here (7.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Georgia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Chatham County, mortgaged homeowners pay 19% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Chatham County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Chatham County's effective rate is higher than 44% of the 158 counties in Georgia - ranking #89 of 158.
Where Chatham County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.84% more affordable than 47% 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
Close to the Georgia median on both measures
Rate and bill both land within 10% of the Georgia medians here, which makes Chatham County a reasonable stand-in for the state when comparing against counties elsewhere. It also means the county-level figure adds little beyond the state figure for this particular comparison; the $2,541 median bill and the state median tell substantially the same story.
Chatham County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Chatham County | Georgia 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 | 3.6% | - | - |
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.
Chatham County is UNDER · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Georgia counties.
Chatham County rate trail · UNDER
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,541 +3.2% | 0.84% |
| 2023 | $2,463 +1.9% | 0.90% |
| 2022 | $2,418 +10.9% | 0.94% |
| 2021 | $2,181 +4.7% | 1.01% |
| 2020 | $2,083 | 1.00% |
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.
Chatham County: tax-to-income at 3.6%
Counties near Chatham County's effective rate
On effective rate, Chatham County sits nearest Placer County (CA), Daviess County (KY), Lee County (KY).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Santa Cruz County (AZ), Carter County (KY), Fayette County (AL).
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
Chatham County: only 9% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 11,770 of 135,900 returns from Chatham County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,591 - 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 Georgia
Chatham County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Chatham County?
- Chatham County, Georgia scores F (32/100) 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 D (0.84%). 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 Chatham County, Georgia?
- The median annual property tax in Chatham County is $2,541, an effective rate of 0.84% on a $302,700 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Chatham County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Chatham County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.84% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Chatham County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Chatham County jumped 22.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,083 to $2,541, 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Chatham County?
- Property taxes in Chatham County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.6% of the $71,097 median household income.
What to do with Chatham County's UNDER rate
Chatham County's $2,541 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Chatham County ranks #89 of 158 Georgia counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Georgia overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Chatham 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: 0.84%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,541/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Chatham County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Chatham County (UNDER · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER MID
Madison County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Chatham County at $2,541/yr; rate 1.02% vs Chatham County 0.84%.
Fayette County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,542/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.87% vs Chatham County 0.84%.
Shasta County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,542/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.69% vs Chatham County 0.84%.
Ector County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,538/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.27% vs Chatham County 0.84%.
Georgia county set
State ACS overview for every published Georgia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Chatham 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 Chatham County (UNDER · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.