Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Portsmouth city Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Portsmouth city pays $2,557 a year, an effective rate of 1.04%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,557
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.04%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +28%
- vs U.S. average
- #3 of 133
- rank in VA
The verdict
Homeowners in Portsmouth city pay a median $2,557 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.04%, more affordable than 32% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,557
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.04%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2125 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +28%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($246,900). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Virginia. Population: 97,190. Owner-occupied homes: 23,344.
The median annual property tax in Portsmouth city is $2,557, which is 8% lower than the Virginia state average and 28% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.04% on a median home value of $246,900. Property taxes represent 4.2% of the median household income in this county.
Portsmouth city's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Portsmouth city's 1.04% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 32%).
Decision signal 2
Low among Virginia counties by effective rate
Portsmouth city ranks #3 of 133 counties in Virginia by effective rate (98% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Portsmouth city pay a median annual property tax of $2,557, well above the national median and modestly below the Virginia state median. On a $246,900 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.04% 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 Portsmouth city run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.2% of the $60,491 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Portsmouth city 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
Portsmouth city's effective rate fell 15.9% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 41.7%, leaving the median bill 19.3% higher at $2,557. That rate move is larger than the one in 68% 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 $2,144 to $2,557, a gain of 19%. 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: 8,203 of 23,344 owner-occupied homes (35.1%) 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.
Earnings are below the national midpoint while the rate is above it, and the median bill equals 4.2% of median household income. The gap between those two positions is the whole story on this page.
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.
Portsmouth city is an outlier inside Virginia
Across the 133 Virginia counties with a published rate, the average effective rate is 0.65%. Portsmouth city is at 1.04%, which sits 2.3 standard deviations above that average. Fewer than one county in twenty nationally is this far from its own state's centre, so a state-level average is a poor guide to what is owed here.
Standard deviations are computed across every county in the state with a published effective rate for 2024; states with fewer than five such counties are not assessed.
What Portsmouth city Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Portsmouth city homeowners, 8,203 of 23,344 owner-occupied homes (35.1%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 10.1% (2,365)
- $800 to $1,499 12.4% (2,901)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.6% (2,238)
- $2,000 to $2,999 26.3% (6,145)
- $3,000 or more 35.1% (8,203)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,492 homes here (6.4%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Virginia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Portsmouth city pay about the same bill, within a 3% gap either way.
Portsmouth city's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Portsmouth city's effective rate is higher than 98% of the 133 counties in Virginia - ranking #3 of 133.
Where Portsmouth city sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.04% more affordable than 32% 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
Same bill as Virginia, a higher rate
The median bill lands within 8% of the Virginia median while the effective rate runs 42% above it. The two offset each other: a steeper rate applied to less valuable housing arrives at roughly the state's own $2,557. A rate ranking would place this county far from the middle; the bill does not.
Portsmouth city vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Portsmouth city | Virginia 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 | 4.2% | - | - |
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.
Portsmouth city is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Virginia counties.
Portsmouth city rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,557 +4.3% | 1.04% |
| 2023 | $2,452 +3.2% | 1.07% |
| 2022 | $2,375 +8.9% | 1.11% |
| 2021 | $2,181 +1.7% | 1.19% |
| 2020 | $2,144 | 1.23% |
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.
Portsmouth city: tax takes 4.2% of income
Counties near Portsmouth city's effective rate
On effective rate, Portsmouth city sits nearest Hardeman County (TX), Crane County (TX), Hanson County (SD).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Smith County (TX), Breckinridge County (KY), Darke County (OH).
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
Portsmouth city: only 7% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 3,110 of 44,050 returns from Portsmouth city reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,605 - 29% of those reporters sat in the $100-200k AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Virginia
Portsmouth city rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Portsmouth city?
- Portsmouth city, Virginia scores F (35/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-83). 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 Portsmouth city, Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in Portsmouth city is $2,557, an effective rate of 1.04% on a $246,900 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Portsmouth city property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Portsmouth city run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.04% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Portsmouth city?
- Property taxes in Portsmouth city run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.2% of the $60,491 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Portsmouth city?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Portsmouth city climbed 19.3% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,144 to $2,557, 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 Portsmouth city's PAR rate
Portsmouth city's $2,557 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Portsmouth city ranks #3 of 133 Virginia counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Virginia overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Portsmouth city'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: 1.04%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,557/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Portsmouth city
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Portsmouth city (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Umatilla County, OR
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Portsmouth city at $2,557/yr; rate 0.90% vs Portsmouth city 1.04%.
Weber County, UT
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Portsmouth city at $2,557/yr; rate 0.60% vs Portsmouth city 1.04%.
Campbell County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,556/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.01% vs Portsmouth city 1.04%.
Henry County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,559/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.56% vs Portsmouth city 1.04%.
Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Portsmouth city 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 Portsmouth city (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.