Maine · County property tax · ACS 2024
Penobscot County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Penobscot County pays $2,481 a year, an effective rate of 1.16%, notably higher than the U.S. average.
- $2,481
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.16%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +24%
- vs U.S. average
- #3 of 16
- rank in ME
The verdict
Homeowners in Penobscot County pay a median $2,481 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.16%, more affordable than 25% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,481
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.16%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2350 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +24%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($214,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Maine. Population: 154,710. Owner-occupied homes: 46,010.
The median annual property tax in Penobscot County is $2,481, which is 18% lower than the Maine state average and 24% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.16% on a median home value of $214,100. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.
Penobscot County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Penobscot County's 1.16% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 25%).
Decision signal 2
Low among Maine counties by effective rate
Penobscot County ranks #3 of 16 counties in Maine by effective rate (81% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill is near the usual comparison points
Homeowners in Penobscot County pay a median annual property tax of $2,481, notably higher than the national median and notably lower than the Maine state median. On a $214,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.16% 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 Penobscot County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $66,356 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County rose 44.4%, from $148,300 to $214,100. The effective rate fell 18.9% over the same span, a steeper move than in 79% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 17.1%, to $2,481. 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 $2,118 to $2,481, a gain of 17%. 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: 16,732 of 46,010 owner-occupied homes (36.4%) 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.
Both the income and the rate here sit in the third quarter nationally, and the median bill is 3.7% of median household income. Two above-average figures pulling in opposite directions is why the rate on its own is a poor guide.
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 Penobscot County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Penobscot County homeowners, 16,732 of 46,010 owner-occupied homes (36.4%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 10.2% (4,708)
- $800 to $1,499 15.6% (7,159)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.4% (5,265)
- $2,000 to $2,999 22.9% (10,536)
- $3,000 or more 36.4% (16,732)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,610 homes here (3.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Maine handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Penobscot County pay a substantially higher bill, 31% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
Penobscot County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Penobscot County's effective rate is higher than 81% of the 16 counties in Maine - ranking #3 of 16.
Where Penobscot County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.16% more affordable than 25% 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
Penobscot County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Penobscot County | Maine Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.7% | - | - |
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.
Penobscot County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Maine counties.
Penobscot County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,481 +1.9% | 1.16% |
| 2023 | $2,435 +4.1% | 1.26% |
| 2022 | $2,340 +4.3% | 1.32% |
| 2021 | $2,243 +5.9% | 1.43% |
| 2020 | $2,118 | 1.43% |
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.
Penobscot County: tax-to-income at 3.7%
Counties near Penobscot County's effective rate
On effective rate, Penobscot County sits nearest Linn County (KS), Ida County (IA), Talbot County (GA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Van Buren County (AR), Cayuga County (NY), Washburn County (WI).
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
Penobscot County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 2,180 of 73,890 returns from Penobscot County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,146 - 35% 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 Maine
Penobscot County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Penobscot County?
- Penobscot County, Maine scores F (25/100) 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 housing pressure at F (3.23×). 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 Penobscot County, Maine?
- The median annual property tax in Penobscot County is $2,481, an effective rate of 1.16% on a $214,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Penobscot County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Penobscot County run notably higher than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.16% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Penobscot County?
- Property taxes in Penobscot County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $66,356 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Penobscot County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Penobscot County climbed 17.1% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,118 to $2,481, 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 Penobscot County's PAR rate
At Penobscot County's 1.16% effective rate, a $214,100 home implies about $2,481/yr - plug in your own assessed value rather than quoting the county median. Estimate your bill →
Penobscot County ranks #3 of 16 Maine counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Maine overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Penobscot County's PAR 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: 1.16%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,481/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Penobscot County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Penobscot County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Washington County, MD
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Penobscot County at $2,481/yr; rate 0.84% vs Penobscot County 1.16%.
Hendricks County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,482/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.81% vs Penobscot County 1.16%.
Washington County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,485/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.09% vs Penobscot County 1.16%.
Wayne County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,486/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 1.12% vs Penobscot County 1.16%.
Maine county set
State ACS overview for every published Maine county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Penobscot 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, county median real-estate taxes · 2024 Penobscot County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.