North Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
New Hanover County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in New Hanover County pays $2,105 a year, an effective rate of 0.54%, modestly above the U.S. average.
- $2,105
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.54%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- +6%
- vs U.S. average
- #82 of 100
- rank in NC
The verdict
Homeowners in New Hanover County pay a median $2,105 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.54%, more affordable than 79% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,105
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.54%
- Effective rate on median home
- #659 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +6%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($387,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for North Carolina. Population: 235,229. Owner-occupied homes: 64,383.
The median annual property tax in New Hanover County is $2,105, which is 11% higher than the North Carolina state average and 6% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.54% on a median home value of $387,800. Property taxes represent 2.8% of the median household income in this county.
New Hanover County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
New Hanover County's 0.54% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 79%).
Decision signal 2
High among North Carolina counties by effective rate
New Hanover County ranks #82 of 100 counties in North Carolina by effective rate (18% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill is near the usual comparison points
Homeowners in New Hanover County pay a median annual property tax of $2,105, modestly above the national median and notably higher than the North Carolina state median. On a $387,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.54% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in New Hanover County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.8% of the $75,166 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County rose 50.2%, from $258,200 to $387,800. The effective rate fell 20.0% over the same span, a steeper move than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 20.1%, to $2,105. 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 $1,753 to $2,105, a gain of 20%. 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: 18,087 of 64,383 owner-occupied homes (28.1%) 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.
Incomes run above the national midpoint and the rate is in the lowest quarter, leaving the median bill at 2.8% 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 New Hanover County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of New Hanover County homeowners, 18,087 of 64,383 owner-occupied homes (28.1%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 5.0% (3,251)
- $800 to $1,499 24.2% (15,593)
- $1,500 to $1,999 17.2% (11,099)
- $2,000 to $2,999 23.3% (15,017)
- $3,000 or more 28.1% (18,087)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,336 homes here (2.1%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how North Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in New Hanover County pay about the same bill, within a 3% gap either way.
New Hanover County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
New Hanover County's effective rate is higher than 18% of the 100 counties in North Carolina - ranking #82 of 100.
Where New Hanover County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.54% Among the most affordable more affordable than 79% 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
New Hanover County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | New Hanover County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.8% | - | - |
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.
New Hanover County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · North Carolina counties.
New Hanover County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,105 +1.4% | 0.54% |
| 2023 | $2,075 +4.0% | 0.59% |
| 2022 | $1,996 +10.2% | 0.62% |
| 2021 | $1,812 +3.4% | 0.65% |
| 2020 | $1,753 | 0.68% |
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.
New Hanover County: tax-to-income at 2.8%
Counties near New Hanover County's effective rate
On effective rate, New Hanover County sits nearest Luna County (NM), Lincoln County (MT), Carbon County (MT).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Philadelphia County (PA), Geauga County (OH), Charlton County (GA).
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
New Hanover County: only 8% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 9,490 of 116,750 returns from New Hanover County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,918 - 40% of those reporters sat in the $200k+ AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in North Carolina
New Hanover County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for New Hanover County?
- New Hanover County, North Carolina scores C (56/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-62). 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 New Hanover County, North Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in New Hanover County is $2,105, an effective rate of 0.54% on a $387,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does New Hanover County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in New Hanover County run modestly above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.54% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in New Hanover County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for New Hanover County jumped 20.1% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,753 to $2,105, 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 New Hanover County?
- Property taxes in New Hanover County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.8% of the $75,166 median household income.
What to do with New Hanover County's QUIET rate
At New Hanover County's 0.54% effective rate, a $387,800 home implies about $2,105/yr - plug in your own assessed value rather than quoting the county median. Estimate your bill →
New Hanover County ranks #82 of 100 North Carolina counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. North Carolina overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for New Hanover 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: 0.54%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,105/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with New Hanover County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for New Hanover County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Powell County, MT
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,104/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.69% vs New Hanover County 0.54%.
Kearny County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,108/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.05% vs New Hanover County 0.54%.
Madison County, MS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,108/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.68% vs New Hanover County 0.54%.
Woodford County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,108/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.70% vs New Hanover County 0.54%.
North Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published North Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
New Hanover 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 New Hanover County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.