Maryland · County property tax · ACS 2024
Somerset County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Somerset County pays $1,591 a year, an effective rate of 0.92%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,591
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.92%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -20%
- vs U.S. average
- #9 of 24
- rank in MD
The verdict
Homeowners in Somerset County pay a median $1,591 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.92%, more affordable than 41% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,591
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.92%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1839 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -20%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($173,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Maryland. Population: 24,822. Owner-occupied homes: 6,104.
The median annual property tax in Somerset County is $1,591, which is 61% lower than the Maryland state average and 20% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.92% on a median home value of $173,200. Property taxes represent 2.4% of the median household income in this county.
Somerset County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Somerset County's 0.92% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 41%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Maryland median
Homeowners in Somerset County pay a median annual property tax of $1,591, notably lower than the national median and far below the Maryland state median. On a $173,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.92% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Maryland counties by effective rate
Somerset County ranks #9 of 24 counties in Maryland by effective rate (63% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Somerset County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $64,943 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Somerset 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 Somerset County rose 31.7%, from $131,500 to $173,200. The effective rate fell 20.2% over the same span, a steeper move than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 5.1%, to $1,591. 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
Very little moved here between 2020 and 2024: the typical bill went from $1,514 to $1,591, a change of 5%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 1,884 of 6,104 owner-occupied homes (30.9%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Earnings are below the national midpoint while the rate is above it, and the median bill equals 2.4% 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.
What Somerset County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Somerset County homeowners, 1,884 of 6,104 owner-occupied homes (30.9%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 13.3% (813)
- $800 to $1,499 30.9% (1,884)
- $1,500 to $1,999 18.1% (1,105)
- $2,000 to $2,999 17.1% (1,044)
- $3,000 or more 15.6% (952)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
306 homes here (5.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Maryland handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Somerset County, mortgaged homeowners pay 28% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Somerset County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Somerset County's effective rate is higher than 63% of the 24 counties in Maryland - ranking #9 of 24.
Where Somerset County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.92% more affordable than 41% 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 rate as Maryland, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 5% of the Maryland median, yet the median bill runs 61% below it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to cheaper housing produces $1,591 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Somerset County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Somerset County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.4% | - | - |
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.
Somerset County is UNDER · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Maryland counties.
Somerset County rate trail · UNDER
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,591 -0.7% | 0.92% |
| 2023 | $1,603 -2.7% | 0.98% |
| 2022 | $1,648 +3.6% | 1.05% |
| 2021 | $1,590 +5.0% | 1.11% |
| 2020 | $1,514 | 1.15% |
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.
Somerset County: tax-to-income at 2.4%
Counties near Somerset County's effective rate
On effective rate, Somerset County sits nearest Bracken County (KY), Dickinson County (IA), Lake County (IN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Woodruff County (AR), Giles County (VA), Jackson Parish (LA).
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
Somerset County: only 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 500 of 9,340 returns from Somerset County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,126 - 28% 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 Maryland
Somerset County rate FAQs
- How does Somerset County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Somerset County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.92% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Somerset County, Maryland?
- The median annual property tax in Somerset County is $1,591, an effective rate of 0.92% on a $173,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Somerset County?
- Somerset County, Maryland scores D (48/100) 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 C+ (2.67×). 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.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Somerset County?
- Property taxes in Somerset County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $64,943 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Somerset County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Somerset County ticked up 5.1% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,514 to $1,591, 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 Somerset County's UNDER rate
Inside Maryland, Somerset County's $1,591 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Maryland overview →
Somerset County ranks #9 of 24 Maryland counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Maryland overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Somerset County's UNDER 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: 0.92%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,591/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Somerset County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Somerset County (UNDER · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER MID
Hardin County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,590/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.05% vs Somerset County 0.92%.
Rock County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,590/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.71% vs Somerset County 0.92%.
Guernsey County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,593/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.01% vs Somerset County 0.92%.
Rice County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,593/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.52% vs Somerset County 0.92%.
Maryland county set
State ACS overview for every published Maryland county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Somerset County stamps UNDER · 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 Somerset County (UNDER · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.