North Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Durham County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Durham County pays $3,092 a year, an effective rate of 0.79%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,092
- Median tax / yr
- 0.79%
- Effective rate
- +55%
- vs U.S. average
- #22 of 100
- rank in NC
The verdict
Homeowners in Durham County pay a median $3,092 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.79%, more affordable than 51% of U.S. counties.
- $3,092
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.79%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1538 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +55%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($389,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for North Carolina. Owner-occupied homes: 78,724.
The median annual property tax in Durham County is $3,092, which is 63% higher than the North Carolina state average and 55% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.79% on a median home value of $389,400. Property taxes represent 3.8% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Durham County
Homeowners in Durham County pay a median annual property tax of $3,092, far above the national median and far above the North Carolina state median. On a $389,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.79% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Property taxes in Durham County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.8% of the $82,316 median household income. Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has ticked up 4.8%, from $2,951 to $3,092. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Durham 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.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Durham County pay about the same bill, a 2% gap.
How Durham County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Durham County's effective rate is higher than 78% of the 100 counties in North Carolina - ranking #22 of 100 for property tax burden.
Where Durham County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.79% more affordable than 51% of 3,135 U.S. counties
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
Durham County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Durham County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax | $3,092 | $1,896 | $1,993 |
| Effective Tax Rate | 0.79% | 0.66% | 0.92% |
| Median Home Value | $389,400 | $288,900 | $227,791 |
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 Durham County property tax bill is too high?
A successful appeal can lower your assessed value by 10-25%, cutting your annual tax bill by hundreds or thousands of dollars. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to project savings on your specific home, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the exact procedure in North Carolina.
Property Tax History
| Year | Median Tax | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,092 +4.8% | 0.79% |
| 2023 | $2,951 +2.1% | 0.84% |
| 2022 | $2,891 +7.2% | 0.93% |
| 2021 | $2,696 +4.7% | 1.03% |
| 2020 | $2,575 | 1.06% |
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate notably lower than the national average of 0.92% puts Durham 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 Durham County or any other county.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average property tax in Durham County, North Carolina? ▼
How does Durham County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Durham County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Durham County? ▼
What this means in Durham County
How to use Durham County's property-tax numbers, for budgeting, comparison, or an appeal.
- At Durham County's 0.79% effective rate, a $389,400 home implies about $3,092/yr, plug in your own home's value to estimate your bill. Estimate your bill
- Durham County ranks #22 of 100 counties in North Carolina by effective rate, compare it against the rest of the state before you judge your bill. North Carolina overview
- If your assessed value looks high relative to Durham County's typical home, you may have grounds to appeal, most jurisdictions have a filing window each year. How to appeal
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($389,400); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
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.
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 Durham County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-09.