Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Orange County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Orange County pays $1,997 a year, an effective rate of 0.55%, roughly in line with the U.S. average.
- $1,997
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.55%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- +0%
- vs U.S. average
- #92 of 133
- rank in VA
The verdict
Homeowners in Orange County pay a median $1,997 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.55%, more affordable than 78% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,997
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.55%
- Effective rate on median home
- #694 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +0%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($364,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Virginia. Population: 37,822. Owner-occupied homes: 11,688.
The median annual property tax in Orange County is $1,997, which is 28% lower than the Virginia state average and 0% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.55% on a median home value of $364,200. Property taxes represent 2.1% of the median household income in this county.
Orange County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Orange County's 0.55% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 78%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Virginia median
Homeowners in Orange County pay a median annual property tax of $1,997, roughly in line with the national median and well below the Virginia state median. On a $364,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.55% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Virginia counties by effective rate
Orange County ranks #92 of 133 counties in Virginia by effective rate (31% 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 2.1% of the $94,008 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Orange 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
Orange County's effective rate fell 16.8% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 39.5%, leaving the median bill 16.0% higher at $1,997. That rate move is larger than the one in 72% 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 $1,721 to $1,997, a gain of 16%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The plurality of owner-occupied homes here falls in the $2,000 to $2,999 band, at 3,610 of 11,688 (30.9%). This shows the reported distribution around the county median, while individual assessments can vary.
The most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 2.1% of median household income. Home values still drive the dollar figure, which is why the ratio above varies widely among counties that share this position.
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, 3,610 of 11,688 owner-occupied homes (30.9%), pays $2,000 to $2,999 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 9.5% (1,115)
- $800 to $1,499 21.2% (2,475)
- $1,500 to $1,999 18.6% (2,179)
- $2,000 to $2,999 30.9% (3,610)
- $3,000 or more 18.2% (2,133)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
176 homes here (1.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Virginia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Orange County, mortgaged homeowners actually pay 12% less than those without a mortgage, a mild inversion from the national norm worth cross-checking against the historical table above.
Orange County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Orange County's effective rate is higher than 31% of the 133 counties in Virginia - ranking #92 of 133.
Where Orange County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.55% Among the most affordable more affordable than 78% 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
Below Virginia on both measures
Orange County's effective rate runs 25% under the Virginia median and its bill 28% under. Both sitting on the same side means the gap is not a valuation artefact: a county can post a low rate purely because its homes are expensive, but then the bill rises to meet the state. Here it does not, so the $1,997 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Virginia norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Orange County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Orange County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.1% | - | - |
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.
Orange County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Virginia counties.
Orange County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,997 -2.5% | 0.55% |
| 2023 | $2,048 +6.8% | 0.61% |
| 2022 | $1,918 +8.4% | 0.61% |
| 2021 | $1,770 +2.8% | 0.65% |
| 2020 | $1,721 | 0.66% |
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.
Orange County: tax-to-income at 2.1%
Counties near Orange County's effective rate
On effective rate, Orange County sits nearest Glasscock County (TX), Spartanburg County (SC), Colleton County (SC).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Hughes County (OK), Gem County (ID), Buchanan County (MO).
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
Orange County: only 9% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,630 of 18,950 returns from Orange County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,391 - 38% 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 Virginia
Orange County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Orange County, Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in Orange County is $1,997, an effective rate of 0.55% on a $364,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Orange County?
- Orange County, Virginia scores C+ (64/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-256). 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.
- How does Orange County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Orange County run roughly in line with the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.55% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Orange County?
- Property taxes in Orange County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.1% of the $94,008 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Orange County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Orange County climbed 16.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,721 to $1,997, 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 Orange County's QUIET rate
Inside Virginia, Orange County's $1,997 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Virginia overview →
Orange County ranks #92 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 Orange 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: 0.55%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,997/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 (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Cowley County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,999/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.65% vs Orange County 0.55%.
Lyon County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,995/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.87% vs Orange County 0.55%.
Morton County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,995/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 2.08% vs Orange County 0.55%.
Madison County, ID
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,001/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 0.48% vs Orange County 0.55%.
Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Orange 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 Orange County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.