Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Lancaster County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Lancaster County pays $1,558 a year, an effective rate of 0.48%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,558
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.48%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -22%
- vs U.S. average
- #117 of 133
- rank in VA
The verdict
Homeowners in Lancaster County pay a median $1,558 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.48%, more affordable than 85% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,558
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.48%
- Effective rate on median home
- #459 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -22%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($327,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Virginia. Population: 10,936. Owner-occupied homes: 4,645.
The median annual property tax in Lancaster County is $1,558, which is 44% lower than the Virginia state average and 22% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.48% on a median home value of $327,000. Property taxes represent 2.2% of the median household income in this county.
Lancaster County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Lancaster County's 0.48% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 85%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Virginia median
Homeowners in Lancaster County pay a median annual property tax of $1,558, notably lower than the national median and well below the Virginia state median. On a $327,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.48% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Virginia counties by effective rate
Lancaster County ranks #117 of 133 counties in Virginia by effective rate (12% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Lancaster County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.2% of the $69,713 median household income.
Decision signal 5
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has ticked up 3.3%, from $1,508 to $1,558. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Lancaster 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.
How to read this county's bill
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 31% from $1,186 to $1,558. These ACS medians describe the reported change; they do not identify whether a levy, assessment, home value, or change in the responding households caused it.
The largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 1,126 of 4,645 owner-occupied homes (24.2%) 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 2.2% 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 Lancaster County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Lancaster County homeowners, 1,126 of 4,645 owner-occupied homes (24.2%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 24.2% (1,126)
- $800 to $1,499 23.9% (1,110)
- $1,500 to $1,999 13.2% (613)
- $2,000 to $2,999 15.2% (706)
- $3,000 or more 22.8% (1,059)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Lancaster County, mortgaged homeowners actually pay 20% less than those without a mortgage, a mild inversion from the national norm worth cross-checking against the historical table above.
Lancaster County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Lancaster County's effective rate is higher than 12% of the 133 counties in Virginia - ranking #117 of 133.
Where Lancaster County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.48% Among the most affordable more affordable than 85% 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
What changed since 2020
The median bill in Lancaster County moved from $1,186 in the 2020 release to $1,558 in 2024, a change of about 31%. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates compared across releases that share only one sample year, which is why this page never compares consecutive releases: those overlap in four years of the same households and move mostly on sampling.
Lancaster County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Lancaster County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.2% | - | - |
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.
Lancaster County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Virginia counties.
Lancaster County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,558 +3.3% | 0.48% |
| 2023 | $1,508 +9.9% | 0.49% |
| 2022 | $1,372 +16.2% | 0.47% |
| 2021 | $1,181 -0.4% | 0.49% |
| 2020 | $1,186 | 0.50% |
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.
Lancaster County: tax-to-income at 2.2%
Counties near Lancaster County's effective rate
On effective rate, Lancaster County sits nearest Weakley County (TN), Rutherford County (TN), Putnam County (TN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Colfax County (NM), Rowan County (NC), Powell County (KY).
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
Lancaster County: only 11% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 670 of 5,870 returns from Lancaster County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,606 - 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 Virginia
Lancaster County rate FAQs
- How does Lancaster County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Lancaster County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.48% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Lancaster County, Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in Lancaster County is $1,558, an effective rate of 0.48% on a $327,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Lancaster County?
- Lancaster County, Virginia scores B- (67/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-348). 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 Lancaster County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Lancaster County is recorded at $1,558 in the 2024 5-year release against $1,186 in 2020. That is a large swing, and it should be read as movement in a survey estimate rather than as a tax change: the median here rests on about 4,645 owner-occupied homes, and swings above 50% are roughly twelve times more common in the smallest counties than in the largest. Treat the two figures as imprecise and check the county assessor for actual rate changes.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Lancaster County?
- Property taxes in Lancaster County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.2% of the $69,713 median household income.
What to do with Lancaster County's QUIET rate
Inside Virginia, Lancaster County's $1,558 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Virginia overview →
Lancaster County ranks #117 of 133 Virginia counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Virginia overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Lancaster 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: 0.48%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,558/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Lancaster County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Lancaster County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Iron County, UT
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Lancaster County at $1,558/yr; rate 0.41% vs Lancaster County 0.48%.
Washington County, OK
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Lancaster County at $1,558/yr; rate 0.90% vs Lancaster County 0.48%.
Grant County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,557/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.91% vs Lancaster County 0.48%.
Labette County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,559/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.65% vs Lancaster County 0.48%.
Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Lancaster 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 Lancaster County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.