North Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Dare County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Dare County pays $2,391 a year, an effective rate of 0.52%, notably higher than the U.S. average.
- $2,391
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.52%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- +20%
- vs U.S. average
- #87 of 100
- rank in NC
The verdict
Homeowners in Dare County pay a median $2,391 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.52%, more affordable than 81% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,391
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.52%
- Effective rate on median home
- #580 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +20%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($460,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for North Carolina. Population: 37,875. Owner-occupied homes: 13,202.
The median annual property tax in Dare County is $2,391, which is 26% higher than the North Carolina state average and 20% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.52% on a median home value of $460,400. Property taxes represent 2.7% of the median household income in this county.
Dare County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Dare County's 0.52% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 81%).
Decision signal 2
High among North Carolina counties by effective rate
Dare County ranks #87 of 100 counties in North Carolina by effective rate (13% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits above the North Carolina median
Homeowners in Dare County pay a median annual property tax of $2,391, notably higher than the national median and well above the North Carolina state median. On a $460,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.52% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Dare County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.7% of the $88,994 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Dare 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
Dare County's effective rate fell 16.3% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 54.9%, leaving the median bill 29.7% higher at $2,391. That rate move is larger than the one in 70% 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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 30% from $1,843 to $2,391. These ACS medians describe the reported change; they do not identify whether a levy, assessment, home value, or change in the responding households caused it.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 4,161 of 13,202 owner-occupied homes (31.5%) 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.
The most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 2.7% of median household income. Home values still drive the dollar figure, which is why the ratio above varies widely among counties that share this position.
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 Dare County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Dare County homeowners, 4,161 of 13,202 owner-occupied homes (31.5%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.3% (829)
- $800 to $1,499 16.6% (2,197)
- $1,500 to $1,999 15.1% (1,995)
- $2,000 to $2,999 29.8% (3,931)
- $3,000 or more 31.5% (4,161)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Dare County pay about the same bill, within a 6% gap either way.
Dare County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Dare County's effective rate is higher than 13% of the 100 counties in North Carolina - ranking #87 of 100.
Where Dare County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.52% Among the most affordable more affordable than 81% 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
A low rate, a bigger bill
Dare County taxes property at 0.52%, roughly 21% below the North Carolina average, and still bills a median $2,391, about 26% above the state figure. Because the effective rate is the bill divided by the home's value, that combination means local home values run well ahead of the state norm: a gentler rate applied to a larger base.
Dare County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Dare County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.7% | - | - |
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.
Dare County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · North Carolina counties.
Dare County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,391 +6.5% | 0.52% |
| 2023 | $2,245 +5.5% | 0.53% |
| 2022 | $2,128 +11.3% | 0.55% |
| 2021 | $1,912 +3.7% | 0.59% |
| 2020 | $1,843 | 0.62% |
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.
Dare County: tax-to-income at 2.7%
Counties near Dare County's effective rate
On effective rate, Dare County sits nearest Sierra County (NM), Eddy County (NM), Colfax County (NM).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Roanoke city (VA), Ozark County (MO), Iberia 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
Dare County: only 8% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,780 of 21,610 returns from Dare County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,288 - 33% 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
Dare County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Dare County, North Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Dare County is $2,391, an effective rate of 0.52% on a $460,400 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Dare County?
- Dare County, North Carolina scores C (56/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-140). 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 Dare County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Dare County run notably higher than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.52% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Dare County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Dare County jumped 29.7% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,843 to $2,391, 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 Dare County?
- Property taxes in Dare County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.7% of the $88,994 median household income.
What to do with Dare County's QUIET rate
Inside North Carolina, Dare County's $2,391 median bill runs high versus the state median - compare the rest of the state before judging the burden. North Carolina overview →
Dare County ranks #87 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 Dare 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: 0.52%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,391/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Dare County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Dare County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Buchanan County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,390/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.36% vs Dare County 0.52%.
Hemphill County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,390/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.16% vs Dare County 0.52%.
Wahkiakum County, WA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,392/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.60% vs Dare County 0.52%.
Canadian County, OK
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,394/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.97% vs Dare County 0.52%.
North Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published North Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Dare 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 Dare County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.