Tennessee · County property tax · ACS 2024
Jefferson County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Jefferson County pays $978 a year, an effective rate of 0.43%, far below the U.S. average.
- $978
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.43%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -51%
- vs U.S. average
- #69 of 95
- rank in TN
The verdict
Homeowners in Jefferson County pay a median $978 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.43%, more affordable than 91% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $978
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.43%
- Effective rate on median home
- #292 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -51%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($229,300). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Tennessee. Population: 56,864. Owner-occupied homes: 16,542.
The median annual property tax in Jefferson County is $978, which is 32% lower than the Tennessee state average and 51% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.43% on a median home value of $229,300. Property taxes represent 1.5% of the median household income in this county.
Jefferson County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Jefferson County's 0.43% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 91% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Jefferson County pay a median annual property tax of $978, far below the national median and well below the Tennessee state median. On a $229,300 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.43% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Jefferson County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.5% of the $66,114 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Tennessee counties by effective rate
Jefferson County ranks #69 of 95 counties in Tennessee by effective rate (27% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Jefferson 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 gave way faster than almost anywhere
Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Jefferson County rose 48.1%, from $154,800 to $229,300. The effective rate fell 19.8% over the same span, a steeper move than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 18.8%, to $978. Where the rate drops this far and the bill rises anyway, what changed is the value the rate is applied to.
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 $823 to $978, a gain of 19%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 5,926 of 16,542 owner-occupied homes (35.8%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
Incomes run above the national midpoint and the rate is in the lowest quarter, leaving the median bill at 1.5% of median household income. Both figures move in the same direction here, so the ratio above is not pulled in two directions the way it is in most counties.
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 Jefferson County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Jefferson County homeowners, 5,926 of 16,542 owner-occupied homes (35.8%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 35.8% (5,926)
- $800 to $1,499 33.3% (5,504)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.5% (1,573)
- $2,000 to $2,999 10.2% (1,681)
- $3,000 or more 5.6% (932)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
926 homes here (5.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Tennessee handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Jefferson County pay about the same bill, within a 8% gap either way.
Jefferson County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Jefferson County's effective rate is higher than 27% of the 95 counties in Tennessee - ranking #69 of 95.
Where Jefferson County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.43% Among the most affordable more affordable than 91% 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 0.43%, Jefferson County sits in the lowest 9% 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 $978, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Jefferson County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Jefferson 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 | 1.5% | - | - |
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.
Jefferson County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Tennessee counties.
Jefferson County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $978 -1.2% | 0.43% |
| 2023 | $990 +5.7% | 0.47% |
| 2022 | $937 +9.2% | 0.51% |
| 2021 | $858 +4.3% | 0.53% |
| 2020 | $823 | 0.53% |
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.
Jefferson County: tax takes only 1.5% of income
Counties near Jefferson County's effective rate
On effective rate, Jefferson County sits nearest Edgefield County (SC), Cherokee County (SC), Haskell County (OK).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Brazos County (TX), Dunklin County (MO), Poinsett County (AR).
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
Jefferson County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 660 of 25,450 returns from Jefferson County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,142 - 36% of those reporters sat in the $200k+ AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Jefferson County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Jefferson County?
- Jefferson County, Tennessee scores A- (82/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-82). 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.
- How does Jefferson County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Jefferson County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.43% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Jefferson County, Tennessee?
- The median annual property tax in Jefferson County is $978, an effective rate of 0.43% on a $229,300 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Jefferson County?
- Property taxes in Jefferson County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.5% of the $66,114 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Jefferson County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Jefferson County climbed 18.8% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $823 to $978, 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 Jefferson County's QUIET rate
Jefferson County's $978 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 1.5% of Jefferson County's $66,114 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Jefferson 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: 0.43%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $978/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Jefferson County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Jefferson County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Marion County, WV
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Jefferson County at $978/yr; rate 0.59% vs Jefferson County 0.43%.
Graham County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $979/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.57% vs Jefferson County 0.43%.
Hooker County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $979/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.04% vs Jefferson County 0.43%.
Pike County, MO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $979/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.67% vs Jefferson County 0.43%.
Tennessee county set
State ACS overview for every published Tennessee county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Jefferson 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 Jefferson County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.