South Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Richland County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Richland County pays $1,637 a year, an effective rate of 0.67%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,637
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.67%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- -18%
- vs U.S. average
- #6 of 46
- rank in SC
The verdict
Homeowners in Richland County pay a median $1,637 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.67%, more affordable than 63% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,637
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.67%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1158 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -18%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($242,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Carolina. Population: 422,117. Owner-occupied homes: 101,223.
The median annual property tax in Richland County is $1,637, which is 31% higher than the South Carolina state average and 18% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.67% on a median home value of $242,800. Property taxes represent 2.6% of the median household income in this county.
Richland County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Richland County's 0.67% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 63%).
Decision signal 2
Low among South Carolina counties by effective rate
Richland County ranks #6 of 46 counties in South Carolina by effective rate (87% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits above the South Carolina median
Homeowners in Richland County pay a median annual property tax of $1,637, notably lower than the national median and well above the South Carolina state median. On a $242,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.67% 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 Richland County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.6% of the $63,784 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Richland 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
Richland County's effective rate fell 15.2% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 45.0%, leaving the median bill 22.9% higher at $1,637. That rate move is larger than the one in 65% 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 $1,332 to $1,637, a gain of 23%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 26,537 of 101,223 owner-occupied homes (26.2%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Both figures cluster near the middle of the national range, and the median bill comes to 2.6% of median household income. Counties like this are the reason a national average exists at all, and also the reason it explains so little.
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 Richland County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Richland County homeowners, 26,537 of 101,223 owner-occupied homes (26.2%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 15.8% (15,989)
- $800 to $1,499 26.2% (26,537)
- $1,500 to $1,999 16.1% (16,277)
- $2,000 to $2,999 17.9% (18,127)
- $3,000 or more 16.8% (17,022)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
7,271 homes here (7.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how South Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Richland County, mortgaged homeowners pay 26% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Richland County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Richland County's effective rate is higher than 87% of the 46 counties in South Carolina - ranking #6 of 46.
Where Richland County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.67% Among the most affordable more affordable than 63% 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
Above South Carolina on both measures
Richland County's effective rate runs 40% over the South Carolina median and its bill 31% over. When both move together the rate is not being offset by cheaper housing, so the $1,637 median bill is carrying the full weight of the higher rate rather than a valuation difference. This is a comparison of two published medians, not a statement about any individual parcel.
Richland County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Richland County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.6% | - | - |
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.
Richland County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · South Carolina counties.
Richland County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,637 +4.3% | 0.67% |
| 2023 | $1,569 +5.4% | 0.70% |
| 2022 | $1,489 +6.4% | 0.74% |
| 2021 | $1,400 +5.1% | 0.80% |
| 2020 | $1,332 | 0.80% |
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.
Richland County: tax-to-income at 2.6%
Counties near Richland County's effective rate
On effective rate, Richland County sits nearest Pawnee County (OK), Muskogee County (OK), Harmon County (OK).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Sierra County (NM), Adair County (OK), Garrard County (KY).
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
Richland County: only 7% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 13,430 of 189,580 returns from Richland County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,719 - 32% 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 South Carolina
Richland County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Richland County, South Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Richland County is $1,637, an effective rate of 0.67% on a $242,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Richland County?
- Richland County, South Carolina scores C- (50/100) 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 C+ (0.67%). 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 Richland County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Richland County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.67% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Richland County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Richland County jumped 22.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,332 to $1,637, 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Richland County?
- Property taxes in Richland County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.6% of the $63,784 median household income.
What to do with Richland County's QUIET rate
Inside South Carolina, Richland County's $1,637 median bill runs high versus the state median - compare the rest of the state before judging the burden. South Carolina overview →
Richland County ranks #6 of 46 South Carolina counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. South Carolina overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Richland 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: 0.67%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,637/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Richland County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Richland County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Neosho County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Richland County at $1,637/yr; rate 1.47% vs Richland County 0.67%.
Allegany County, MD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,636/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.06% vs Richland County 0.67%.
Cheyenne County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,636/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.30% vs Richland County 0.67%.
Pinal County, AZ
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,636/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.47% vs Richland County 0.67%.
South Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published South Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Richland 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 Richland County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.