Maine · County property tax · ACS 2024
Cumberland County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Cumberland County pays $4,707 a year, an effective rate of 1.04%, far above the U.S. average.
- $4,707
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 1.04%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +136%
- vs U.S. average
- #11 of 16
- rank in ME
The verdict
Homeowners in Cumberland County pay a median $4,707 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.04%, more affordable than 32% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $4,707
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.04%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2125 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +136%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($451,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Cumberland County, ME
25/100
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.
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Cumberland County
Cumberland County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Median home value relative to Cumberland County's median income
Median tax as a share of Cumberland County's median household income
Cumberland County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Cumberland County affordability profile (scored ACS dimensions)
Read the chart values
- Mortgage premium: 86/100 (A) · +$27
- Rate relief: 33/100 (F) · 1.04%
- Housing pressure: 11/100 (F) · 4.72×
- Income room: 5/100 (F) · 4.9%
- Bill size: 0/100 (F) · $4,707/yr
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Maine. Population: 308,827. Owner-occupied homes: 92,265.
The median annual property tax in Cumberland County is $4,707, which is 55% higher than the Maine state average and 136% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.04% on a median home value of $451,200. Property taxes represent 4.9% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Cumberland County
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Cumberland County pay a median annual property tax of $4,707, far above the national median and far above the Maine state median. On a $451,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.04% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Cumberland County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.9% of the $95,677 median household income.
Decision signal 3
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Cumberland County's 1.04% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 32%).
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Maine counties by effective rate
Cumberland County ranks #11 of 16 counties in Maine by effective rate (31% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Cumberland 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.
The rate gave way faster than almost anywhere
Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Cumberland County rose 56.2%, from $288,800 to $451,200. The effective rate fell 21.8% over the same span, a steeper move than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 22.2%, to $4,707. 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 $3,852 to $4,707, 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: 71,339 of 92,265 owner-occupied homes (77.3%) 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.
Earnings are in the national top quarter and the rate is above the midpoint, so the median bill represents 4.9% of median household income. A headline bill conflates the dollar figure with the proportion; the two come apart here, and the ratio above is the second of them.
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 Cumberland County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Cumberland County homeowners, 71,339 of 92,265 owner-occupied homes (77.3%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 3.3% (3,028)
- $800 to $1,499 3.4% (3,117)
- $1,500 to $1,999 3.5% (3,219)
- $2,000 to $2,999 10.9% (10,065)
- $3,000 or more 77.3% (71,339)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,497 homes here (1.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Maine handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Cumberland County pay about the same bill, a 1% gap.
How Cumberland County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Cumberland County's effective rate is higher than 31% of the 16 counties in Maine - ranking #11 of 16 for property tax burden.
Where Cumberland County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.04% more affordable than 32% 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
Same rate as Maine, a larger bill
The effective rate here sits within 2% of the Maine median, yet the median bill runs 55% above it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to costlier housing produces $4,707 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Cumberland County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Cumberland County | Maine Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Highest-decile bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 4.9% | - | - |
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 Cumberland County property tax bill is too high?
On Cumberland County's published figures, a $451,200 median home carries a $4,707 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $471 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 Maine.
Property Tax History
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,707 +2.8% | 1.04% |
| 2023 | $4,577 +4.7% | 1.11% |
| 2022 | $4,372 +7.7% | 1.17% |
| 2021 | $4,060 +5.4% | 1.29% |
| 2020 | $3,852 | 1.33% |
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 notably higher than the national average of 0.92% puts Cumberland County in the "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 Cumberland County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Cumberland County sits nearest Terrell County (GA), Montgomery County (GA), Liberty County (GA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Morton County (ND), Allegan County (MI), Sanborn County (SD).
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 Cumberland County
Of the 166,360 federal returns filed from Cumberland County in 2022, 14,390 (8.6% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $7,839 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $200k+, who accounted for 33% 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 Maine
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Cumberland County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What is the average property tax in Cumberland County, Maine? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Cumberland County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Cumberland County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Cumberland County? ▼
What to do with Cumberland County's numbers
- Cumberland County's $4,707 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
- Cumberland County ranks #11 of 16 Maine counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state board. Maine overview →
- If Cumberland County's assessment looks high versus the $451,200 typical home, check Maine'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 ($451,200); 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 Cumberland County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.