North Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Transylvania County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Transylvania County pays $1,674 a year, an effective rate of 0.45%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,674
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.45%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -16%
- vs U.S. average
- #93 of 100
- rank in NC
The verdict
Homeowners in Transylvania County pay a median $1,674 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.45%, more affordable than 89% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,674
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.45%
- Effective rate on median home
- #359 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -16%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($373,600). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for North Carolina. Population: 33,691. Owner-occupied homes: 10,889.
The median annual property tax in Transylvania County is $1,674, which is 12% lower than the North Carolina state average and 16% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.45% on a median home value of $373,600. Property taxes represent 2.5% of the median household income in this county.
Transylvania County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Transylvania County's 0.45% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 89%).
Decision signal 2
High among North Carolina counties by effective rate
Transylvania County ranks #93 of 100 counties in North Carolina by effective rate (7% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill is near the usual comparison points
Homeowners in Transylvania County pay a median annual property tax of $1,674, notably lower than the national median and notably lower than the North Carolina state median. On a $373,600 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.45% 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 Transylvania County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.5% of the $66,184 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Transylvania 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
Transylvania County's effective rate fell 13.9% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 61.5%, leaving the median bill 39.0% higher at $1,674. That rate move is larger than the one in 59% 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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 39% from $1,204 to $1,674. 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 2,822 of 10,889 owner-occupied homes (25.9%). 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 Transylvania County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Transylvania County homeowners, 2,822 of 10,889 owner-occupied homes (25.9%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 17.7% (1,928)
- $800 to $1,499 25.9% (2,822)
- $1,500 to $1,999 15.3% (1,662)
- $2,000 to $2,999 20.7% (2,250)
- $3,000 or more 18.3% (1,996)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
231 homes here (2.1%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how North Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Transylvania County pay about the same bill, a 9% gap.
Transylvania County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Transylvania County's effective rate is higher than 7% of the 100 counties in North Carolina - ranking #93 of 100.
Where Transylvania County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.45% Among the most affordable more affordable than 89% 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 Transylvania County moved from $1,204 in the 2020 release to $1,674 in 2024, a change of about 39%. 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.
Transylvania County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Transylvania 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.
Transylvania County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · North Carolina counties.
Transylvania County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,674 +8.8% | 0.45% |
| 2023 | $1,539 +8.5% | 0.46% |
| 2022 | $1,418 +9.2% | 0.47% |
| 2021 | $1,298 +7.8% | 0.52% |
| 2020 | $1,204 | 0.52% |
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.
Transylvania County: tax-to-income at 2.5%
Counties near Transylvania County's effective rate
On effective rate, Transylvania County sits nearest Torrance County (NM), Roosevelt County (NM), Nye County (NV).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Madera County (CA), Tulare County (CA), Madison County (ID).
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
Transylvania County: only 7% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,010 of 15,530 returns from Transylvania County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,413 - 34% 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
Transylvania County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Transylvania County?
- Transylvania County, North Carolina scores C (59/100) 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 A (0.45%). 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 Transylvania County, North Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Transylvania County is $1,674, an effective rate of 0.45% on a $373,600 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Transylvania County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Transylvania County jumped 39.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,204 to $1,674, 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 Transylvania County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Transylvania County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.45% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Transylvania County?
- Property taxes in Transylvania County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.5% of the $66,184 median household income.
What to do with Transylvania County's QUIET rate
At Transylvania County's 0.45% effective rate, a $373,600 home implies about $1,674/yr - plug in your own assessed value rather than quoting the county median. Estimate your bill →
Transylvania County ranks #93 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 Transylvania 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: 0.45%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,674/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Transylvania County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Transylvania County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Grant County, OR
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Transylvania County at $1,674/yr; rate 0.73% vs Transylvania County 0.45%.
Daviess County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,675/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.84% vs Transylvania County 0.45%.
Hancock County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,673/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.18% vs Transylvania County 0.45%.
Missaukee County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,675/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.98% vs Transylvania County 0.45%.
North Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published North Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Transylvania 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 Transylvania County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.