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.
Tax affordability score · Chatham County, NC
38/100
5 ACS dimensions · release 2024
Comparative score against U.S. county percentiles on Census ACS medians (effective rate, bill, income share, mortgage gap, home-value/income). Higher means more affordable on those published medians, not a recommendation to buy, sell, appeal, or move, and not your personal tax bill. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.
Chatham County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Median tax as a share of Chatham County's median household income
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Chatham County
Chatham County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Median home value relative to Chatham County's median income
Chatham County affordability profile (scored ACS dimensions)
Read the chart values
- Rate relief: 67/100 (B-) · 0.64%
- Income room: 35/100 (F) · 3.0%
- Mortgage premium: 28/100 (F) · +$524
- Bill size: 20/100 (F) · $2,847/yr
- Housing pressure: 10/100 (F) · 4.73×
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
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.
What This Data Tells Us About Chatham County
Primary signal
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 2
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 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.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Chatham County as reported to the Census Bureau, your own bill can differ based on your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, special districts, and municipal overlays. Always consult your county assessor, tax collector, or a qualified professional before making 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.
How Chatham County compares
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 for property tax burden.
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.
Think your Chatham County property tax bill is too high?
On Chatham County's published figures, a $446,200 median home carries a $2,847 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $285 a year at the same rate. Whether an appeal is worth filing depends on your own parcel. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to run your own numbers, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the procedure in North Carolina.
Property Tax History
| 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.
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate well below the national average of 0.92% puts Chatham County in the "Very Affordable" band for property tax burden.
How this score is calculated: a 1-10 scale derived mechanically from the ratio of this county's effective rate to the national average effective rate (0.92%) - a ratio at or below 0.5× scores 10, a ratio at or above 2.0× scores 1, with a linear scale between. It is a factual comparison of Census figures only, not a recommendation, quality rating, or endorsement of Chatham County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
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
What tax filers report in Chatham County
Of the 39,000 federal returns filed from Chatham County in 2022, 4,590 (11.8% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $5,662 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $200k+, who accounted for 45% of the county's reporting returns.
Two things this does not say. The amount is what filers reported, recorded before the $10,000 cap on combined state and local tax deductions applies, so it is not the amount deducted. And the share is of everyone who files a return, not of homeowners: most filers now take the standard deduction, so a minority itemise at all. Source: IRS Statistics of Income county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Chatham County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Chatham County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Chatham County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Chatham County, North Carolina? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Chatham County? ▼
What to do with Chatham County's numbers
- 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 board. North Carolina overview →
- If Chatham County's assessment looks high versus the $446,200 typical home, check North Carolina's filing window and evidence rules before the notice deadline passes. How to appeal →
Effective-rate definition
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($446,200); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
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.
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Editorial standards and provenance
PlainPropertyTax is rendered directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on the Census ACS county-level record for Chatham County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.