Pennsylvania · County property tax · ACS 2024
Cumberland County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Cumberland County pays $3,254 a year, an effective rate of 1.17%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,254
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.17%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +63%
- vs U.S. average
- #41 of 67
- rank in PA
The verdict
Homeowners in Cumberland County pay a median $3,254 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.17%, more affordable than 25% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,254
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.17%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2366 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +63%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($277,600). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Pennsylvania. Population: 268,323. Owner-occupied homes: 75,922.
The median annual property tax in Cumberland County is $3,254, which is 2% lower than the Pennsylvania state average and 63% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.17% on a median home value of $277,600. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.
Cumberland County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Cumberland County's 1.17% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 25%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Cumberland County pay a median annual property tax of $3,254, far above the national median and roughly in line with the Pennsylvania state median. On a $277,600 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.17% 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 Cumberland County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $87,494 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Pennsylvania counties by effective rate
Cumberland County ranks #41 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by effective rate (39% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Cumberland 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
Cumberland County's effective rate fell 12.4% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 32.4%, leaving the median bill 15.9% higher at $3,254. 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 $2,807 to $3,254, a gain of 16%. 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: 41,312 of 75,922 owner-occupied homes (54.4%) 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.
Earnings are in the national top quarter and the rate is above the midpoint, so the median bill represents 3.7% 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, 41,312 of 75,922 owner-occupied homes (54.4%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.5% (4,907)
- $800 to $1,499 7.6% (5,773)
- $1,500 to $1,999 7.4% (5,637)
- $2,000 to $2,999 22.0% (16,701)
- $3,000 or more 54.4% (41,312)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,592 homes here (2.1%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Pennsylvania handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Cumberland County pay about the same bill, a 9% gap.
Cumberland County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Cumberland County's effective rate is higher than 39% of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania - ranking #41 of 67.
Where Cumberland County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.17% more affordable than 25% 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
Cumberland County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Cumberland County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.7% | - | - |
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.
Cumberland County is PAR · HEAVY on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Pennsylvania counties.
Cumberland County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,254 +2.3% | 1.17% |
| 2023 | $3,180 +3.8% | 1.21% |
| 2022 | $3,065 +5.7% | 1.24% |
| 2021 | $2,900 +3.3% | 1.33% |
| 2020 | $2,807 | 1.34% |
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.
Cumberland County: tax-to-income at 3.7%
Counties near Cumberland County's effective rate
On effective rate, Cumberland County sits nearest Wayne County (OH), Henry County (OH), Athens County (OH).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Kane County (IL), Coleman County (TX), Jefferson County (OK).
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
Cumberland County: only 6% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 7,420 of 134,150 returns from Cumberland County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,909 - 35% 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
Cumberland County rate FAQs
- How does Cumberland County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Cumberland County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.17% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Cumberland County?
- Cumberland County, Pennsylvania scores F (28/100) 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 mortgage premium at C (+$264). 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 Cumberland County, Pennsylvania?
- The median annual property tax in Cumberland County is $3,254, an effective rate of 1.17% on a $277,600 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Cumberland County?
- Property taxes in Cumberland County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $87,494 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Cumberland County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Cumberland County climbed 15.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,807 to $3,254, 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 Cumberland County's PAR rate
Cumberland County's $3,254 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 #41 of 67 Pennsylvania counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Pennsylvania overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Cumberland County's PAR 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: 1.17%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,254/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Cumberland County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Cumberland County (PAR · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR HEAVY
Wake County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,260/yr (near-tied bill ABS $6); rate 0.71% vs Cumberland County 1.17%.
Linn County, OR
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,261/yr (near-tied bill ABS $7); rate 0.87% vs Cumberland County 1.17%.
Cowlitz County, WA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,245/yr (near-tied bill ABS $9); rate 0.82% vs Cumberland County 1.17%.
Nome Census Area, AK
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,264/yr (near-tied bill ABS $10); rate 1.55% vs Cumberland County 1.17%.
Pennsylvania county set
State ACS overview for every published Pennsylvania county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Cumberland 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 Cumberland County (PAR · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.