South Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Oconee County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Oconee County pays $899 a year, an effective rate of 0.38%, far below the U.S. average.
- $899
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.38%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -55%
- vs U.S. average
- #44 of 46
- rank in SC
The verdict
Homeowners in Oconee County pay a median $899 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.38%, more affordable than 94% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $899
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.38%
- Effective rate on median home
- #179 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -55%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($237,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Carolina. Population: 80,469. Owner-occupied homes: 26,303.
The median annual property tax in Oconee County is $899, which is 28% lower than the South Carolina state average and 55% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.38% on a median home value of $237,100. Property taxes represent 1.4% of the median household income in this county.
Oconee County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Oconee County's 0.38% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 94% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Oconee County pay a median annual property tax of $899, far below the national median and well below the South Carolina state median. On a $237,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.38% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among South Carolina counties by effective rate
Oconee County ranks #44 of 46 counties in South Carolina by effective rate (4% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Oconee County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.4% of the $62,388 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Oconee 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Oconee County's effective rate fell 15.5% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 44.6%, leaving the median bill 22.1% higher at $899. That rate move is larger than the one in 66% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
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 $736 to $899, a gain of 22%. 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: 11,173 of 26,303 owner-occupied homes (42.5%) 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 1.4% 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 Oconee County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Oconee County homeowners, 11,173 of 26,303 owner-occupied homes (42.5%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 42.5% (11,173)
- $800 to $1,499 24.8% (6,523)
- $1,500 to $1,999 7.4% (1,936)
- $2,000 to $2,999 9.3% (2,445)
- $3,000 or more 9.9% (2,607)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,619 homes here (6.2%) 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 Oconee County pay a substantially higher bill, 45% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
Oconee County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Oconee County's effective rate is higher than 4% of the 46 counties in South Carolina - ranking #44 of 46.
Where Oconee County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.38% Among the most affordable more affordable than 94% 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 0.38%, Oconee County sits in the lowest 6% 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 $899, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Oconee County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Oconee County | South Carolina 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 | 1.4% | - | - |
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.
Oconee County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · South Carolina counties.
Oconee County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $899 +5.0% | 0.38% |
| 2023 | $856 +6.5% | 0.39% |
| 2022 | $804 +5.8% | 0.42% |
| 2021 | $760 +3.3% | 0.45% |
| 2020 | $736 | 0.45% |
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.
Oconee County: tax takes only 1.4% of income
Counties near Oconee County's effective rate
On effective rate, Oconee County sits nearest Avery County (NC), Amite County (MS), Bonner County (ID).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Bedford County (VA), Prince Edward County (VA), Valley County (NE).
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
Oconee County: only 6% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 2,080 of 36,760 returns from Oconee County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,958 - 42% 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 South Carolina
Oconee County rate FAQs
- How does Oconee County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Oconee County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.38% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Oconee County?
- Oconee County, South Carolina scores B+ (76/100) 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 A+ (0.38%). 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 Oconee County, South Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Oconee County is $899, an effective rate of 0.38% on a $237,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Oconee County?
- Property taxes in Oconee County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.4% of the $62,388 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Oconee County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Oconee County jumped 22.1% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $736 to $899, 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 Oconee County's QUIET rate
Oconee County's $899 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 1.4% of Oconee County's $62,388 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Oconee 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: 0.38%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $899/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Oconee County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Oconee County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Cocke County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $898/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.57% vs Oconee County 0.38%.
Colleton County, SC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $900/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.55% vs Oconee County 0.38%.
Limestone County, AL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $900/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.32% vs Oconee County 0.38%.
Randolph County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $900/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.79% vs Oconee County 0.38%.
South Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published South Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Oconee 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 Oconee County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.