West Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Jefferson County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Jefferson County pays $1,857 a year, an effective rate of 0.53%, modestly below the U.S. average.
- $1,857
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.53%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -7%
- vs U.S. average
- #22 of 55
- rank in WV
The verdict
Homeowners in Jefferson County pay a median $1,857 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.53%, more affordable than 80% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,857
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.53%
- Effective rate on median home
- #619 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -7%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($350,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for West Virginia. Population: 59,260. Owner-occupied homes: 18,305.
The median annual property tax in Jefferson County is $1,857, which is 115% higher than the West Virginia state average and 7% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.53% on a median home value of $350,800. Property taxes represent 1.9% of the median household income in this county.
Jefferson County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The bill sits above the West Virginia median
Homeowners in Jefferson County pay a median annual property tax of $1,857, modestly below the national median and far above the West Virginia state median. On a $350,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.53% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Jefferson County's 0.53% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 80%).
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Jefferson County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $98,806 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of West Virginia counties by effective rate
Jefferson County ranks #22 of 55 counties in West Virginia by effective rate (60% 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.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 11.2% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 55% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 34.1%, the median bill rose 19.1% to $1,857: the rate did comparatively little to offset the market.
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 $1,559 to $1,857, 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 plurality of owner-occupied homes here falls in the $2,000 to $2,999 band, at 4,749 of 18,305 (25.9%). This shows the reported distribution around the county median, while individual assessments can vary.
The most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 1.9% of median household income. Home values still drive the dollar figure, which is why the ratio above varies widely among counties that share this position.
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, 4,749 of 18,305 owner-occupied homes (25.9%), pays $2,000 to $2,999 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 11.1% (2,034)
- $800 to $1,499 21.6% (3,959)
- $1,500 to $1,999 22.6% (4,135)
- $2,000 to $2,999 25.9% (4,749)
- $3,000 or more 16.5% (3,021)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
407 homes here (2.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how West Virginia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Jefferson County, mortgaged homeowners pay 16% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
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 60% of the 55 counties in West Virginia - ranking #22 of 55.
Where Jefferson County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.53% Among the most affordable more affordable than 80% 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
Same rate as West Virginia, a larger bill
The effective rate here sits within 0% of the West Virginia median, yet the median bill runs 115% above it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to costlier housing produces $1,857 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Jefferson County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Jefferson County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 1.9% | - | - |
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 · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · West Virginia counties.
Jefferson County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,857 +3.4% | 0.53% |
| 2023 | $1,796 +3.7% | 0.55% |
| 2022 | $1,732 +3.5% | 0.57% |
| 2021 | $1,674 +7.4% | 0.60% |
| 2020 | $1,559 | 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.
Jefferson County: tax takes only 1.9% of income
Counties near Jefferson County's effective rate
On effective rate, Jefferson County sits nearest San Juan County (WA), Wythe County (VA), Rockingham County (VA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Nicholas County (KY), Logan County (IL), Camden County (MO).
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 9% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 2,580 of 28,620 returns from Jefferson County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,965 - 46% 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 West Virginia
Jefferson County rate FAQs
- How does Jefferson County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Jefferson County run modestly below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.53% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Jefferson County, West Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in Jefferson County is $1,857, an effective rate of 0.53% on a $350,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Jefferson County?
- Jefferson County, West Virginia scores C+ (62/100) 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 rate relief at B+ (0.53%). 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 Jefferson County?
- Property taxes in Jefferson County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $98,806 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Jefferson County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Jefferson County climbed 19.1% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,559 to $1,857, 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
Inside West Virginia, Jefferson County's $1,857 median bill runs high versus the state median - compare the rest of the state before judging the burden. West Virginia overview →
Income burden is light here: about 1.9% of Jefferson County's $98,806 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: 0.53%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,857/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 · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Potter County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Jefferson County at $1,857/yr; rate 1.21% vs Jefferson County 0.53%.
Ashland County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,858/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.99% vs Jefferson County 0.53%.
Bonneville County, ID
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,858/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.50% vs Jefferson County 0.53%.
Hernando County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,858/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.67% vs Jefferson County 0.53%.
West Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published West Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Jefferson 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 Jefferson County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.