South Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Laurens County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Laurens County pays $698 a year, an effective rate of 0.41%, far below the U.S. average.
- $698
- Median tax / yr · Very low bill
- 0.41%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -65%
- vs U.S. average
- #42 of 46
- rank in SC
The verdict
Homeowners in Laurens County pay a median $698 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.41%, more affordable than 92% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $698
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.41%
- Effective rate on median home
- #246 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -65%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($170,600). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Carolina. Population: 68,666. Owner-occupied homes: 19,269.
The median annual property tax in Laurens County is $698, which is 44% lower than the South Carolina state average and 65% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.41% on a median home value of $170,600. Property taxes represent 1.2% of the median household income in this county.
Laurens County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Laurens County's 0.41% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 92% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Laurens County pay a median annual property tax of $698, far below the national median and well below the South Carolina state median. On a $170,600 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.41% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among South Carolina counties by effective rate
Laurens County ranks #42 of 46 counties in South Carolina by effective rate (9% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Laurens County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.2% of the $57,623 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Laurens 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 Laurens County rose 57.8%, from $108,100 to $170,600. The effective rate fell 19.9% over the same span, a steeper move than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 26.4%, to $698. 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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 26% from $552 to $698. 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: 10,257 of 19,269 owner-occupied homes (53.2%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
Household income sits in the second quarter nationally and the effective rate in the lowest, so the median bill takes 1.2% 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 Laurens County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Laurens County homeowners, 10,257 of 19,269 owner-occupied homes (53.2%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 53.2% (10,257)
- $800 to $1,499 27.8% (5,365)
- $1,500 to $1,999 7.0% (1,347)
- $2,000 to $2,999 5.1% (985)
- $3,000 or more 3.0% (582)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
733 homes here (3.8%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how South Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Laurens County pay more than double the bill of those without one (+93%), the widest kind of value gap this dataset tracks.
Laurens County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Laurens County's effective rate is higher than 9% of the 46 counties in South Carolina - ranking #42 of 46.
Where Laurens County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.41% Among the most affordable more affordable than 92% 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 0.41%, Laurens County sits in the lowest 8% 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 $698, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Laurens County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Laurens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Very low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Very light income burden | 1.2% | - | - |
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.
Laurens County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · South Carolina counties.
Laurens County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $698 +3.7% | 0.41% |
| 2023 | $673 +10.5% | 0.44% |
| 2022 | $609 +7.8% | 0.44% |
| 2021 | $565 +2.4% | 0.48% |
| 2020 | $552 | 0.51% |
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.
Laurens County: tax takes only 1.2% of income
Counties near Laurens County's effective rate
On effective rate, Laurens County sits nearest Choctaw County (OK), Swain County (NC), Carson City (NV).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Dyer County (TN), Chesterfield County (VA), Lee County (IA).
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
Laurens County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 850 of 29,360 returns from Laurens County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,275 - 34% 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 South Carolina
Laurens County rate FAQs
- How does Laurens County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Laurens County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.41% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Laurens County?
- Laurens County, South Carolina scores B+ (79/100) 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 A+ (1.2%). 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 is the average property tax in Laurens County, South Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Laurens County is $698, an effective rate of 0.41% on a $170,600 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Laurens County?
- Property taxes in Laurens County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.2% of the $57,623 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Laurens County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Laurens County jumped 26.4% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $552 to $698, 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 Laurens County's QUIET rate
Laurens County's $698 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 1.2% of Laurens County's $57,623 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Laurens 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: 0.41%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $698/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Laurens County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Laurens County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Jefferson County, MS
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Laurens County at $698/yr; rate 0.86% vs Laurens County 0.41%.
Huerfano County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $699/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.28% vs Laurens County 0.41%.
Prairie County, AR
ABS(median_tax) peer · $696/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.72% vs Laurens County 0.41%.
Magoffin County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $694/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 0.78% vs Laurens County 0.41%.
South Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published South Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Laurens 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 Laurens County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.