Pennsylvania · County property tax · ACS 2024
Delaware County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Delaware County pays $6,124 a year, an effective rate of 1.84%, far above the U.S. average.
- $6,124
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 1.84%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +207%
- vs U.S. average
- #1 of 67
- rank in PA
The verdict
Homeowners in Delaware County pay a median $6,124 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.84%, more affordable than 4% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $6,124
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.84%
- Effective rate on median home
- #3007 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +207%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($332,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Delaware County, PA
6/100
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.
Median home value relative to Delaware County's median income
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Delaware County
Delaware County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Median tax as a share of Delaware County's median household income
Delaware County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Delaware County affordability profile (scored ACS dimensions)
Read the chart values
- Housing pressure: 24/100 (F) · 3.71×
- Mortgage premium: 20/100 (F) · +$682
- Rate relief: 1/100 (F) · 1.84%
- Income room: 0/100 (F) · 6.8%
- Bill size: 0/100 (F) · $6,124/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 Pennsylvania. Population: 579,222. Owner-occupied homes: 151,016.
The median annual property tax in Delaware County is $6,124, which is 85% higher than the Pennsylvania state average and 207% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.84% on a median home value of $332,200. Property taxes represent 6.8% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Delaware County
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Delaware County pay a median annual property tax of $6,124, far above the national median and far above the Pennsylvania state median. On a $332,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.84% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
Income carries a heavy tax share
Property taxes in Delaware County run well above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 6.8% of the $89,546 median household income.
Decision signal 3
Low among Pennsylvania counties by effective rate
Delaware County ranks #1 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by effective rate (99% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
The effective rate is a national headwind
Delaware County's 1.84% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 96% pay more.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Delaware 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
Delaware County's effective rate fell 14.1% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 34.0%, leaving the median bill 15.0% higher at $6,124. That rate move is larger than the one in 60% 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 $5,323 to $6,124, a gain of 15%. 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: 120,338 of 151,016 owner-occupied homes (79.7%) 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.
Both figures are in the national top quarter, and the median bill still equals only 6.8% of median household income. A high rate on high earnings produces a large dollar figure, and only the dollar figure tends to get quoted; the ratio above is the other half.
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.
Delaware County is an outlier inside Pennsylvania
Across the 67 Pennsylvania counties with a published rate, the average effective rate is 1.26%. Delaware County is at 1.84%, which sits 2.7 standard deviations above that average. Fewer than one county in twenty nationally is this far from its own state's centre, so a state-level average is a poor guide to what is owed here.
Standard deviations are computed across every county in the state with a published effective rate for 2024; states with fewer than five such counties are not assessed.
What Delaware County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Delaware County homeowners, 120,338 of 151,016 owner-occupied homes (79.7%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 4.0% (6,001)
- $800 to $1,499 4.7% (7,054)
- $1,500 to $1,999 4.0% (6,069)
- $2,000 to $2,999 5.9% (8,865)
- $3,000 or more 79.7% (120,338)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
2,689 homes here (1.8%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Pennsylvania handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Delaware County, mortgaged homeowners pay 12% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
How Delaware County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Delaware County's effective rate is higher than 99% of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania - ranking #1 of 67 for property tax burden.
Where Delaware County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.84% more affordable than 4% 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 highest-taxed counties in the country
At 1.84%, Delaware County sits in the top 4% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. That is the rate, not the bill: a high rate on a modest home can still produce a smaller cheque than a low rate on an expensive one, which is why the $6,124 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Delaware County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Delaware County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Highest-decile bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 6.8% | - | - |
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 Delaware County property tax bill is too high?
On Delaware County's published figures, a $332,200 median home carries a $6,124 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $612 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 Pennsylvania.
Property Tax History
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $6,124 +2.0% | 1.84% |
| 2023 | $6,001 +0.9% | 1.98% |
| 2022 | $5,947 +7.0% | 2.05% |
| 2021 | $5,556 +4.4% | 2.16% |
| 2020 | $5,323 | 2.15% |
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 far above the national average of 0.92% puts Delaware County in the "Very Expensive" 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 Delaware County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Delaware County sits nearest Jackson County (IL), Windsor County (VT), Merrimack County (NH).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Cumberland County (NC), Grant County (WA), Florence County (WI).
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 Delaware County
Of the 278,090 federal returns filed from Delaware County in 2022, 28,410 (10.2% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $10,088 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $200k+, who accounted for 35% 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 Pennsylvania
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Delaware County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What is the average property tax in Delaware County, Pennsylvania? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Delaware County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Delaware County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Delaware County? ▼
What to do with Delaware County's numbers
- Delaware County's $6,124 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
- Income burden is elevated here: about 6.8% of Delaware County's $89,546 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
- Delaware County ranks #1 of 67 Pennsylvania counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state board. Pennsylvania overview →
- If Delaware County's assessment looks high versus the $332,200 typical home, check Pennsylvania'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 ($332,200); 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 Delaware County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.