North Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Stokes County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Stokes County pays $1,179 a year, an effective rate of 0.60%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,179
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.60%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- -41%
- vs U.S. average
- #66 of 100
- rank in NC
The verdict
Homeowners in Stokes County pay a median $1,179 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.60%, more affordable than 71% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,179
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.60%
- Effective rate on median home
- #895 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -41%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($196,700). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for North Carolina. Population: 45,139. Owner-occupied homes: 15,478.
The median annual property tax in Stokes County is $1,179, which is 38% lower than the North Carolina state average and 41% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.60% on a median home value of $196,700. Property taxes represent 1.9% of the median household income in this county.
Stokes County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Stokes County's 0.60% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 71%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Stokes County pay a median annual property tax of $1,179, well below the national median and well below the North Carolina state median. On a $196,700 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.60% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Stokes County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $62,969 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of North Carolina counties by effective rate
Stokes County ranks #66 of 100 counties in North Carolina by effective rate (34% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Stokes 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 11.9% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 51% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 35.7%, the median bill rose 19.5% to $1,179: 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
Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $987 to $1,179, 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 fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 5,994 of 15,478 owner-occupied homes (38.7%). 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 1.9% 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 Stokes County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Stokes County homeowners, 5,994 of 15,478 owner-occupied homes (38.7%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 26.6% (4,112)
- $800 to $1,499 38.7% (5,994)
- $1,500 to $1,999 15.3% (2,374)
- $2,000 to $2,999 10.6% (1,636)
- $3,000 or more 5.6% (870)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
492 homes here (3.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how North Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Stokes County, mortgaged homeowners pay 21% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Stokes County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Stokes County's effective rate is higher than 34% of the 100 counties in North Carolina - ranking #66 of 100.
Where Stokes County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.60% Among the most affordable more affordable than 71% 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 North Carolina, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 9% of the North Carolina median, yet the median bill runs 38% 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 $1,179 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Stokes County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Stokes County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 1.9% | - | - |
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.
Stokes County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · North Carolina counties.
Stokes County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,179 +1.8% | 0.60% |
| 2023 | $1,158 +4.6% | 0.62% |
| 2022 | $1,107 +7.1% | 0.66% |
| 2021 | $1,034 +4.8% | 0.69% |
| 2020 | $987 | 0.68% |
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.
Stokes County: tax takes only 1.9% of income
Counties near Stokes County's effective rate
On effective rate, Stokes County sits nearest De Baca County (NM), Chaves County (NM), Petroleum County (MT).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Hillsdale County (MI), Clark County (IL), Anne Arundel County (MD).
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
Stokes County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 660 of 20,470 returns from Stokes County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,909 - 42% 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
Stokes County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Stokes County, North Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Stokes County is $1,179, an effective rate of 0.60% on a $196,700 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Stokes County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Stokes County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.60% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Stokes County?
- Stokes County, North Carolina scores B- (67/100) 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 (0.60%). 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 Stokes County?
- Property taxes in Stokes County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $62,969 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Stokes County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Stokes County climbed 19.5% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $987 to $1,179, 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 Stokes County's QUIET rate
Stokes County's $1,179 median bill sits well below the U.S. median - still size a parcel estimate; local millage and exemptions move the real bill. Estimate your bill →
Income burden is light here: about 1.9% of Stokes County's $62,969 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Stokes 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: 0.60%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,179/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Stokes County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Stokes County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Noble County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,180/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.72% vs Stokes County 0.60%.
Rutherford County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,178/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.58% vs Stokes County 0.60%.
Brown County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,177/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.44% vs Stokes County 0.60%.
Oscoda County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,177/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.94% vs Stokes County 0.60%.
North Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published North Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Stokes County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - 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 Stokes County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.