Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Highland County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Highland County pays $1,135 a year, an effective rate of 0.57%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,135
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.57%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -43%
- vs U.S. average
- #82 of 133
- rank in VA
The verdict
Homeowners in Highland County pay a median $1,135 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.57%, more affordable than 75% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,135
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.57%
- Effective rate on median home
- #782 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -43%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($200,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Virginia. Population: 2,296. Owner-occupied homes: 892.
The median annual property tax in Highland County is $1,135, which is 59% lower than the Virginia state average and 43% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.57% on a median home value of $200,000. Property taxes represent 1.7% of the median household income in this county.
Highland County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Highland County's 0.57% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 75%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Highland County pay a median annual property tax of $1,135, well below the national median and far below the Virginia state median. On a $200,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.57% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Highland County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.7% of the $65,625 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Virginia counties by effective rate
Highland County ranks #82 of 133 counties in Virginia by effective rate (38% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Highland 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.
The rate held while the market moved
Highland County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 5.0% down, against a median home value that rose 24.2%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 18.0%, from $962 to $1,135.
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 $962 to $1,135, a gain of 18%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 327 of 892 owner-occupied homes (36.7%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Household income sits in the second quarter nationally and the effective rate in the lowest, so the median bill takes 1.7% of median household income. Both figures point the same way, which is unusual enough that the ratio above is worth reading rather than assumed.
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 Highland County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Highland County homeowners, 327 of 892 owner-occupied homes (36.7%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 28.5% (254)
- $800 to $1,499 36.7% (327)
- $1,500 to $1,999 7.2% (64)
- $2,000 to $2,999 15.1% (135)
- $3,000 or more 10.5% (94)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
18 homes here (2.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Virginia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Highland County, mortgaged homeowners pay 25% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Highland County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Highland County's effective rate is higher than 38% of the 133 counties in Virginia - ranking #82 of 133.
Where Highland County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.57% Among the most affordable more affordable than 75% 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
Below Virginia on both measures
Highland County's effective rate runs 22% under the Virginia median and its bill 59% under. Both sitting on the same side means the gap is not a valuation artefact: a county can post a low rate purely because its homes are expensive, but then the bill rises to meet the state. Here it does not, so the $1,135 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Virginia norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Highland County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Highland County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Light income burden | 1.7% | - | - |
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.
Highland County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Virginia counties.
Highland County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,135 +2.8% | 0.57% |
| 2023 | $1,104 -2.3% | 0.56% |
| 2022 | $1,130 +10.8% | 0.62% |
| 2021 | $1,020 +6.0% | 0.61% |
| 2020 | $962 | 0.60% |
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.
Highland County: tax takes only 1.7% of income
Counties near Highland County's effective rate
On effective rate, Highland County sits nearest Tooele County (UT), Coffee County (TN), Cocke County (TN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Lincoln County (WV), Lincoln County (ME), Orange County (NY).
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
Highland County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 40 of 1,080 returns from Highland County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,675 - 100% 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 Virginia
Highland County rate FAQs
- How does Highland County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Highland County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.57% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Highland County, Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in Highland County is $1,135, an effective rate of 0.57% on a $200,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Highland County?
- Highland County, Virginia scores B- (69/100) 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 income room at B+ (1.7%). 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Highland County?
- Property taxes in Highland County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.7% of the $65,625 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Highland County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Highland County climbed 18.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $962 to $1,135, 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 Highland County's QUIET rate
Highland County's $1,135 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 1.7% of Highland County's $65,625 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Highland 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: 0.57%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,135/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Highland County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Highland County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Pontotoc County, OK
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Highland County at $1,135/yr; rate 0.65% vs Highland County 0.57%.
Clark County, MO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,134/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.87% vs Highland County 0.57%.
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,136/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.43% vs Highland County 0.57%.
Smith County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,136/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.47% vs Highland County 0.57%.
Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Highland 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 Highland County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.