North Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Polk County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Polk County pays $1,697 a year, an effective rate of 0.54%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,697
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.54%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -15%
- vs U.S. average
- #82 of 100
- rank in NC
The verdict
Homeowners in Polk County pay a median $1,697 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.54%, more affordable than 79% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,697
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.54%
- Effective rate on median home
- #659 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -15%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($315,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for North Carolina. Population: 19,891. Owner-occupied homes: 6,902.
The median annual property tax in Polk County is $1,697, which is 10% lower than the North Carolina state average and 15% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.54% on a median home value of $315,000. Property taxes represent 2.5% of the median household income in this county.
Polk County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Polk 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
Polk 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 Polk County pay a median annual property tax of $1,697, notably lower than the national median and notably lower than the North Carolina state median. On a $315,000 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 Polk County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.5% of the $67,758 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Polk 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.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 8.6% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 66% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 41.4%, the median bill rose 29.2% to $1,697: the rate did comparatively little to offset the market.
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 29% from $1,313 to $1,697. 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 fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 1,745 of 6,902 owner-occupied homes (25.3%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Incomes run above the national midpoint and the rate is in the lowest quarter, leaving the median bill at 2.5% 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 Polk County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Polk County homeowners, 1,745 of 6,902 owner-occupied homes (25.3%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 15.9% (1,097)
- $800 to $1,499 25.3% (1,745)
- $1,500 to $1,999 20.3% (1,400)
- $2,000 to $2,999 20.8% (1,434)
- $3,000 or more 16.1% (1,113)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
113 homes here (1.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how North Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Polk County, mortgaged homeowners pay 12% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Polk County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Polk County's effective rate is higher than 18% of the 100 counties in North Carolina - ranking #82 of 100.
Where Polk 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
What changed since 2020
The median bill in Polk County moved from $1,313 in the 2020 release to $1,697 in 2024, a change of about 29%. 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.
Polk County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Polk 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 | 2.5% | - | - |
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.
Polk County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · North Carolina counties.
Polk County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,697 +4.3% | 0.54% |
| 2023 | $1,627 +9.3% | 0.58% |
| 2022 | $1,489 +8.1% | 0.58% |
| 2021 | $1,378 +5.0% | 0.60% |
| 2020 | $1,313 | 0.59% |
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.
Polk County: tax-to-income at 2.5%
Counties near Polk County's effective rate
On effective rate, Polk County sits nearest Luna County (NM), Lincoln County (MT), Carbon County (MT).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Logan County (AR), Scott County (IN), Hancock County (MS).
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
Polk County: only 7% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 630 of 9,640 returns from Polk County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,014 - 33% 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 North Carolina
Polk County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Polk County?
- Polk 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 rate relief at B+ (0.54%). 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 Polk County, North Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Polk County is $1,697, an effective rate of 0.54% on a $315,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Polk County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Polk County jumped 29.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,313 to $1,697, 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.
- How does Polk County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Polk County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.54% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Polk County?
- Property taxes in Polk County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.5% of the $67,758 median household income.
What to do with Polk County's QUIET rate
At Polk County's 0.54% effective rate, a $315,000 home implies about $1,697/yr - plug in your own assessed value rather than quoting the county median. Estimate your bill →
Polk 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 Polk 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: $1,697/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Polk County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Polk County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Anderson County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Polk County at $1,697/yr; rate 0.75% vs Polk County 0.54%.
Elk County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Polk County at $1,697/yr; rate 1.27% vs Polk County 0.54%.
Montgomery County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Polk County at $1,697/yr; rate 0.61% vs Polk County 0.54%.
Madison County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,698/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.73% vs Polk County 0.54%.
North Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published North Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Polk 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 Polk County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.