Tennessee · County property tax · ACS 2024
DeKalb County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in DeKalb County pays $824 a year, an effective rate of 0.35%, far below the U.S. average.
- $824
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.35%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -59%
- vs U.S. average
- #90 of 95
- rank in TN
The verdict
Homeowners in DeKalb County pay a median $824 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.35%, more affordable than 96% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $824
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.35%
- Effective rate on median home
- #138 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -59%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($235,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Tennessee. Population: 20,959. Owner-occupied homes: 6,282.
The median annual property tax in DeKalb County is $824, which is 43% lower than the Tennessee state average and 59% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.35% on a median home value of $235,500. Property taxes represent 1.6% of the median household income in this county.
DeKalb County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
DeKalb County's 0.35% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 96% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in DeKalb County pay a median annual property tax of $824, far below the national median and well below the Tennessee state median. On a $235,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.35% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Tennessee counties by effective rate
DeKalb County ranks #90 of 95 counties in Tennessee by effective rate (5% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in DeKalb County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.6% of the $53,153 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in DeKalb 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
DeKalb County's effective rate fell 16.1% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 49.5%, leaving the median bill 25.4% higher at $824. That rate move is larger than the one in 69% 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 25% from $657 to $824. 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 largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 2,840 of 6,282 owner-occupied homes (45.2%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
Both sides of this comparison sit low: household income here is in the bottom quarter of US counties, and so is the effective tax rate. The median bill works out at 1.6% of median household income, which is the arithmetic of a modest levy on modest earnings rather than of any deliberate relief.
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 DeKalb County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of DeKalb County homeowners, 2,840 of 6,282 owner-occupied homes (45.2%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 45.2% (2,840)
- $800 to $1,499 29.8% (1,870)
- $1,500 to $1,999 8.9% (558)
- $2,000 to $2,999 5.7% (360)
- $3,000 or more 4.7% (296)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
358 homes here (5.7%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Tennessee handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In DeKalb County, mortgaged homeowners actually pay 15% less than those without a mortgage, a mild inversion from the national norm worth cross-checking against the historical table above.
DeKalb County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
DeKalb County's effective rate is higher than 5% of the 95 counties in Tennessee - ranking #90 of 95.
Where DeKalb County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.35% Among the most affordable more affordable than 96% 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
Among the lowest-taxed counties in the country
At 0.35%, DeKalb County sits in the lowest 4% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. A low rate does not by itself mean a low bill: the median here is $824, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
DeKalb County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | DeKalb County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Light income burden | 1.6% | - | - |
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.
DeKalb County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Tennessee counties.
DeKalb County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $824 +10.3% | 0.35% |
| 2023 | $747 +5.8% | 0.36% |
| 2022 | $706 +7.0% | 0.39% |
| 2021 | $660 +0.5% | 0.42% |
| 2020 | $657 | 0.42% |
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.
DeKalb County: tax takes only 1.6% of income
Counties near DeKalb County's effective rate
On effective rate, DeKalb County sits nearest De Soto Parish (LA), Lemhi County (ID), Gilmer County (GA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Milam County (TX), Wilkin County (MN), Alexander County (NC).
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
DeKalb County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 210 of 9,060 returns from DeKalb County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,243 - 29% 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 Tennessee
DeKalb County rate FAQs
- How does DeKalb County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in DeKalb County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.35% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for DeKalb County?
- DeKalb County, Tennessee scores A- (84/100) 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 A+ (0.35%). 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 DeKalb County, Tennessee?
- The median annual property tax in DeKalb County is $824, an effective rate of 0.35% on a $235,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in DeKalb County?
- Property taxes in DeKalb County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.6% of the $53,153 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in DeKalb County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for DeKalb County jumped 25.4% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $657 to $824, 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 DeKalb County's QUIET rate
DeKalb County's $824 median bill sits well below the U.S. median - still size a parcel estimate; local millage and exemptions move the real bill. Estimate your bill →
Income burden is light here: about 1.6% of DeKalb County's $53,153 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for DeKalb 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: 0.35%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $824/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with DeKalb County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for DeKalb County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Lewis County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with DeKalb County at $824/yr; rate 0.48% vs DeKalb County 0.35%.
Sevier County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with DeKalb County at $824/yr; rate 0.28% vs DeKalb County 0.35%.
Craig County, OK
ABS(median_tax) peer · $823/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.55% vs DeKalb County 0.35%.
Mellette County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $825/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.98% vs DeKalb County 0.35%.
Tennessee county set
State ACS overview for every published Tennessee county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
DeKalb County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - 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 DeKalb County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.