West Virginia · County property tax · ACS 2024
Upshur County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Upshur County pays $717 a year, an effective rate of 0.42%, far below the U.S. average.
- $717
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.42%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -64%
- vs U.S. average
- #45 of 55
- rank in WV
The verdict
Homeowners in Upshur County pay a median $717 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.42%, more affordable than 92% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $717
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.42%
- Effective rate on median home
- #265 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -64%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($170,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for West Virginia. Population: 23,712. Owner-occupied homes: 7,714.
The median annual property tax in Upshur County is $717, which is 17% lower than the West Virginia state average and 64% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.42% on a median home value of $170,800. Property taxes represent 1.3% of the median household income in this county.
Upshur County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Upshur County's 0.42% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 92% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Upshur County pay a median annual property tax of $717, far below the national median and notably lower than the West Virginia state median. On a $170,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.42% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among West Virginia counties by effective rate
Upshur County ranks #45 of 55 counties in West Virginia by effective rate (18% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Upshur County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.3% of the $54,338 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Upshur 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
Upshur County's effective rate fell 17.2% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 44.3%, leaving the median bill 19.5% higher at $717. That rate move is larger than the one in 73% 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 $600 to $717, a gain of 20%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 4,262 of 7,714 owner-occupied homes (55.3%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
Both sides of this comparison sit low: household income here is in the bottom quarter of US counties, and so is the effective tax rate. The median bill works out at 1.3% of median household income, which is the arithmetic of a modest levy on modest earnings rather than of any deliberate relief.
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 Upshur County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Upshur County homeowners, 4,262 of 7,714 owner-occupied homes (55.3%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 55.3% (4,262)
- $800 to $1,499 31.8% (2,451)
- $1,500 to $1,999 5.5% (428)
- $2,000 to $2,999 1.6% (121)
- $3,000 or more 2.6% (201)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
251 homes here (3.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how West Virginia handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Upshur County, mortgaged homeowners pay 18% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Upshur County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Upshur County's effective rate is higher than 18% of the 55 counties in West Virginia - ranking #45 of 55.
Where Upshur County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.42% Among the most affordable more affordable than 92% 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
Among the lowest-taxed counties in the country
At 0.42%, Upshur County sits in the lowest 8% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. A low rate does not by itself mean a low bill: the median here is $717, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Upshur County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Upshur County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Very light income burden | 1.3% | - | - |
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.
Upshur County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · West Virginia counties.
Upshur County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $717 +2.4% | 0.42% |
| 2023 | $700 -0.1% | 0.44% |
| 2022 | $701 +6.7% | 0.46% |
| 2021 | $657 +9.5% | 0.50% |
| 2020 | $600 | 0.51% |
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.
Upshur County: tax takes only 1.3% of income
Counties near Upshur County's effective rate
On effective rate, Upshur County sits nearest Washington County (UT), Borden County (TX), Wilson County (TN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Muskegon County (MI), St. Charles Parish (LA), Ontonagon County (MI).
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
Upshur County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 160 of 9,950 returns from Upshur County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,038 - 38% 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 West Virginia
Upshur County rate FAQs
- How does Upshur County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Upshur County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.42% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Upshur County?
- Upshur County, West Virginia scores A- (84/100) 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+ (0.42%). 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 Upshur County, West Virginia?
- The median annual property tax in Upshur County is $717, an effective rate of 0.42% on a $170,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Upshur County?
- Property taxes in Upshur County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.3% of the $54,338 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Upshur County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Upshur County climbed 19.5% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $600 to $717, 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 Upshur County's QUIET rate
Upshur County's $717 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 1.3% of Upshur County's $54,338 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Upshur 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: 0.42%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $717/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Upshur County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Upshur County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Columbia County, AR
ABS(median_tax) peer · $718/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.47% vs Upshur County 0.42%.
Logan County, AR
ABS(median_tax) peer · $716/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.51% vs Upshur County 0.42%.
Martin County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $716/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.82% vs Upshur County 0.42%.
Morgan County, AL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $718/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.34% vs Upshur County 0.42%.
West Virginia county set
State ACS overview for every published West Virginia county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Upshur 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 Upshur County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.