North Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Chatham County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Chatham County pays $2,847 a year, an effective rate of 0.64%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,847
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.64%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- +43%
- vs U.S. average
- #54 of 100
- rank in NC
The verdict
Homeowners in Chatham County pay a median $2,847 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.64%, more affordable than 67% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,847
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.64%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1040 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +43%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($446,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for North Carolina. Population: 80,151. Owner-occupied homes: 26,591.
The median annual property tax in Chatham County is $2,847, which is 50% higher than the North Carolina state average and 43% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.64% on a median home value of $446,200. Property taxes represent 3.0% 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 0.64% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 67%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Chatham County pay a median annual property tax of $2,847, well above the national median and far above the North Carolina state median. On a $446,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.64% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of North Carolina counties by effective rate
Chatham County ranks #54 of 100 counties in North Carolina by effective rate (46% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
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 3.0% of the $94,317 median household income.
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 13.2% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 43.9%, leaving the median bill 24.9% higher at $2,847. That rate move is larger than the one in 55% 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 $2,280 to $2,847, a gain of 25%. 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: 12,057 of 26,591 owner-occupied homes (45.3%) 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.
Top-quartile earnings meet a below-median rate, putting the median bill at 3.0% of median household income. Counties in this position span a wide range on the ratio above, because the dollar bill tracks home values rather than the rate.
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, 12,057 of 26,591 owner-occupied homes (45.3%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 7.8% (2,065)
- $800 to $1,499 13.4% (3,563)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.9% (2,631)
- $2,000 to $2,999 20.6% (5,477)
- $3,000 or more 45.3% (12,057)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
798 homes here (3.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how North Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Chatham County, mortgaged homeowners pay 21% 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 46% of the 100 counties in North Carolina - ranking #54 of 100.
Where Chatham County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.64% Among the most affordable more affordable than 67% 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
What changed since 2020
The median bill in Chatham County moved from $2,280 in the 2020 release to $2,847 in 2024, a change of about 25%. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates compared across releases that share only one sample year, which is why this page never compares consecutive releases: those overlap in four years of the same households and move mostly on sampling.
Chatham County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Chatham County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.0% | - | - |
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 QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · North Carolina counties.
Chatham County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,847 +6.6% | 0.64% |
| 2023 | $2,671 +3.6% | 0.67% |
| 2022 | $2,578 +6.0% | 0.69% |
| 2021 | $2,431 +6.6% | 0.75% |
| 2020 | $2,280 | 0.74% |
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 3.0%
Counties near Chatham County's effective rate
On effective rate, Chatham County sits nearest Lander County (NV), Phelps County (MO), Chariton County (MO).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Tipton County (IN), Denton County (TX), Calcasieu Parish (LA).
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 12% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 4,590 of 39,000 returns from Chatham County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,662 - 45% of those reporters sat in the $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 North Carolina
Chatham County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Chatham County?
- Chatham County, North Carolina scores F (38/100) 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 B- (0.64%). 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.
- 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 0.64% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Chatham County, North Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Chatham County is $2,847, an effective rate of 0.64% on a $446,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Chatham County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Chatham County jumped 24.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,280 to $2,847, 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 3.0% of the $94,317 median household income.
What to do with Chatham County's QUIET rate
Chatham County's $2,847 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 #54 of 100 North Carolina counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. North Carolina overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Chatham 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: 0.64%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,847/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 (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Marion County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,848/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.22% vs Chatham County 0.64%.
Seward County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,850/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.18% vs Chatham County 0.64%.
St. Lawrence County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,844/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 2.33% vs Chatham County 0.64%.
Barron County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,843/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.31% vs Chatham County 0.64%.
North Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published North Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Chatham 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 Chatham County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.