Texas · County property tax · ACS 2024
Orange County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Orange County pays $2,152 a year, an effective rate of 1.24%, modestly above the U.S. average.
- $2,152
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.24%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +8%
- vs U.S. average
- #113 of 250
- rank in TX
The verdict
Homeowners in Orange County pay a median $2,152 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.24%, more affordable than 22% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,152
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.24%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2456 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +8%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($173,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Orange County, TX
30/100
5 ACS dimensions · release 2024
Comparative score against U.S. county percentiles on Census ACS medians (effective rate, bill, income share, mortgage gap, home-value/income). Higher means more affordable on those published medians, not a recommendation to buy, sell, appeal, or move, and not your personal tax bill. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.
Median home value relative to Orange County's median income
Median tax as a share of Orange County's median household income
Orange County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Orange County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Orange County
Read the chart values
- Housing pressure: 75/100 (B) · 2.40×
- Income room: 36/100 (F) · 3.0%
- Bill size: 34/100 (F) · $2,152/yr
- Rate relief: 22/100 (F) · 1.24%
- Mortgage premium: 0/100 (F) · +$1,438
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Texas. Population: 85,307. Owner-occupied homes: 24,383.
The median annual property tax in Orange County is $2,152, which is 49% lower than the Texas state average and 8% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.24% on a median home value of $173,400. Property taxes represent 3.0% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Orange County
Primary signal
The bill sits below the Texas median
Homeowners in Orange County pay a median annual property tax of $2,152, modestly above the national median and well below the Texas state median. On a $173,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.24% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Orange County's 1.24% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 22%).
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Texas counties by effective rate
Orange County ranks #113 of 250 counties in Texas by effective rate (55% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Orange County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.0% of the $72,104 median household income.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Orange County as reported to the Census Bureau, your own bill can differ based on your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, special districts, and municipal overlays. Always consult your county assessor, tax collector, or a qualified professional before making decisions that depend on these numbers.
The rate held while the market moved
Orange County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 1.8% down, against a median home value that rose 49.4%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 46.6%, from $1,468 to $2,152.
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 47% from $1,468 to $2,152. 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 heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 7,818 of 24,383 owner-occupied homes (32.1%) 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.
The rate is in the national top quarter while earnings are only moderately above the midpoint, so the median bill claims 3.0% of median household income. A high rate is affordable only relative to something, and this is what it is relative to here.
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 Orange County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Orange County homeowners, 7,818 of 24,383 owner-occupied homes (32.1%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 19.8% (4,818)
- $800 to $1,499 14.9% (3,635)
- $1,500 to $1,999 10.2% (2,479)
- $2,000 to $2,999 18.4% (4,479)
- $3,000 or more 32.1% (7,818)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,154 homes here (4.7%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Texas handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Orange County pay more than double the bill of those without one (+99%), the widest kind of value gap this dataset tracks.
How Orange County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Orange County's effective rate is higher than 55% of the 250 counties in Texas - ranking #113 of 250 for property tax burden.
Where Orange County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.24% more affordable than 22% 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 Orange County moved from $1,468 in the 2020 release to $2,152 in 2024, a change of about 47%. 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.
Orange County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Orange County | Texas Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.0% | - | - |
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.
Think your Orange County MID bill is out of line at PAR?
On Orange County's published figures (PAR · MID), a $173,400 median home carries a $2,152 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $215 a year at the same rate. Whether an appeal is worth filing depends on your own parcel. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to run your own numbers, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the procedure in Texas.
Property Tax History · PAR · MID
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,152 +5.7% | 1.24% |
| 2023 | $2,036 +9.1% | 1.25% |
| 2022 | $1,866 +11.3% | 1.22% |
| 2021 | $1,677 +14.2% | 1.27% |
| 2020 | $1,468 | 1.26% |
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.
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate well above the national average of 0.92% puts Orange County in the "Moderate" band for property tax burden.
How this score is calculated: a 1-10 scale derived mechanically from the ratio of this county's effective rate to the national average effective rate (0.92%) - a ratio at or below 0.5× scores 10, a ratio at or above 2.0× scores 1, with a linear scale between. It is a factual comparison of Census figures only, not a recommendation, quality rating, or endorsement of Orange County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Orange County sits nearest Medina County (OH), Gratiot County (MI), Ellis County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Tillman County (OK), Clear Creek County (CO), Cherokee 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
What tax filers report in Orange County
Of the 35,950 federal returns filed from Orange County in 2022, 1,460 (4.1% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $5,510 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 41% of the county's reporting returns.
Two things this does not say. The amount is what filers reported, recorded before the $10,000 cap on combined state and local tax deductions applies, so it is not the amount deducted. And the share is of everyone who files a return, not of homeowners: most filers now take the standard deduction, so a minority itemise at all. Source: IRS Statistics of Income county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Texas
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Orange County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Orange County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Orange County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Orange County, Texas? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Orange County? ▼
What to do with Orange County's numbers
- Inside Texas, Orange County's $2,152 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Texas overview →
- Orange County ranks #113 of 250 Texas counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Texas overview →
- If Orange County's assessment looks high versus the $173,400 typical home, check Texas's filing window and evidence rules before the notice deadline passes. How to appeal →
Effective-rate definition
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($173,400); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
Nationwide peers by effective rate & median bill
Two PlainPropertyTax-derived comparison paths for Orange County, both outside Texas so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice. Axes stay disjoint: median-bill peers exclude the effective-rate peer set.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.24%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,152/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Orange County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Orange County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Santa Fe County, NM
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Orange County at $2,152/yr; rate 0.48% vs Orange County 1.24%.
Calhoun County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,153/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.26% vs Orange County 1.24%.
Dickinson County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,154/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.47% vs Orange County 1.24%.
Price County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,150/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.32% vs Orange County 1.24%.
Texas county set
State ACS overview for every published Texas county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Orange County stamps PAR · 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.
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Editorial standards and provenance
PlainPropertyTax is rendered directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on the Census ACS county-level record for Orange County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.