Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
James City County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in James City County pays $2,901 a year, an effective rate of 0.65%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,901
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.65%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- +46%
- vs U.S. average
- #54 of 133
- rank in VA
The verdict
Homeowners in James City County pay a median $2,901 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.65%, more affordable than 66% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,901
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.65%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1074 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +46%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($447,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Virginia. Population: 81,013. Owner-occupied homes: 24,543.
The median annual property tax in James City County is $2,901, which is 4% higher than the Virginia state average and 46% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.65% on a median home value of $447,200. Property taxes represent 2.6% of the median household income in this county.
James City County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
James City County's 0.65% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 66%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in James City County pay a median annual property tax of $2,901, well above the national median and modestly above the Virginia state median. On a $447,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.65% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Virginia counties by effective rate
James City County ranks #54 of 133 counties in Virginia by effective rate (59% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in James City County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.6% of the $109,985 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in James City 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
James City County's effective rate fell 12.9% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 29.2%, leaving the median bill 12.5% higher at $2,901. That rate move is larger than the one in 54% 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 $2,579 to $2,901, a gain of 12%. 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: 11,091 of 24,543 owner-occupied homes (45.2%) 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.
Top-quartile earnings meet a below-median rate, putting the median bill at 2.6% of median household income. Counties in this position span a wide range on the ratio above, because the dollar bill tracks home values rather than the rate.
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 James City County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of James City County homeowners, 11,091 of 24,543 owner-occupied homes (45.2%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 3.6% (893)
- $800 to $1,499 10.9% (2,687)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.9% (2,932)
- $2,000 to $2,999 23.2% (5,704)
- $3,000 or more 45.2% (11,091)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,236 homes here (5.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Virginia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In James City County, mortgaged homeowners actually pay 18% less than those without a mortgage, a mild inversion from the national norm worth cross-checking against the historical table above.
James City County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
James City County's effective rate is higher than 59% of the 133 counties in Virginia - ranking #54 of 133.
Where James City County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.65% Among the most affordable more affordable than 66% 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
James City County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | James City County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.6% | - | - |
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.
James City County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Virginia counties.
James City County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,901 +4.1% | 0.65% |
| 2023 | $2,786 +2.8% | 0.66% |
| 2022 | $2,709 +3.6% | 0.68% |
| 2021 | $2,614 +1.4% | 0.74% |
| 2020 | $2,579 | 0.75% |
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.
James City County: tax-to-income at 2.6%
Counties near James City County's effective rate
On effective rate, James City County sits nearest Jackson County (SD), Orangeburg County (SC), Pontotoc County (OK).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Washington County (MS), Monmouth County (NJ), Cumberland County (NJ).
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
James City County: only 12% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 5,050 of 41,080 returns from James City County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,554 - 39% 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
James City County rate FAQs
- How does James City County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in James City County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.65% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in James City County, Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in James City County is $2,901, an effective rate of 0.65% on a $447,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for James City County?
- James City County, Virginia scores C- (52/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-613). 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.
- Are property taxes increasing in James City County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for James City County climbed 12.5% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,579 to $2,901, 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 James City County?
- Property taxes in James City County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.6% of the $109,985 median household income.
What to do with James City County's QUIET rate
James City County's $2,901 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
James City County ranks #54 of 133 Virginia counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Virginia overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for James City 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: 0.65%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,901/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with James City County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for James City County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Chautauqua County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with James City County at $2,901/yr; rate 2.27% vs James City County 0.65%.
McPherson County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with James City County at $2,901/yr; rate 1.37% vs James City County 0.65%.
Finney County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,900/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.44% vs James City County 0.65%.
Grand Forks County, ND
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,900/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.15% vs James City County 0.65%.
Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
James City 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 James City County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.