Tennessee · County property tax · ACS 2024
Van Buren County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Van Buren County pays $693 a year, an effective rate of 0.44%, far below the U.S. average.
- $693
- Median tax / yr · Very low bill
- 0.44%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -65%
- vs U.S. average
- #63 of 95
- rank in TN
The verdict
Homeowners in Van Buren County pay a median $693 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.44%, more affordable than 90% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $693
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.44%
- Effective rate on median home
- #318 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -65%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($159,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Tennessee. Population: 6,437. Owner-occupied homes: 2,220.
The median annual property tax in Van Buren County is $693, which is 52% lower than the Tennessee state average and 65% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.44% on a median home value of $159,200. Property taxes represent 1.3% of the median household income in this county.
Van Buren County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Van Buren County's 0.44% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 90% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Van Buren County pay a median annual property tax of $693, far below the national median and far below the Tennessee state median. On a $159,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.44% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Van Buren County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.3% of the $54,931 median household income.
Decision signal 4
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has climbed 16.3%, from $596 to $693. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Decision signal 5
Near the middle of Tennessee counties by effective rate
Van Buren County ranks #63 of 95 counties in Tennessee by effective rate (34% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Van Buren 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.
How to read this county's bill
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 39% from $497 to $693. 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 largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 1,194 of 2,220 owner-occupied homes (53.8%) 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 Van Buren County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Van Buren County homeowners, 1,194 of 2,220 owner-occupied homes (53.8%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 53.8% (1,194)
- $800 to $1,499 27.8% (617)
- $1,500 to $1,999 5.2% (115)
- $2,000 to $2,999 7.0% (156)
- $3,000 or more 2.8% (63)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
75 homes here (3.4%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Tennessee handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Van Buren County, mortgaged homeowners pay 14% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Van Buren County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Van Buren County's effective rate is higher than 34% of the 95 counties in Tennessee - ranking #63 of 95.
Where Van Buren County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.44% Among the most affordable more affordable than 90% 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 0.44%, Van Buren County sits in the lowest 10% 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 $693, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Van Buren County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Van Buren County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Very 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.
Van Buren County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Tennessee counties.
Van Buren County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $693 +16.3% | 0.44% |
| 2023 | $596 +4.0% | 0.40% |
| 2022 | $573 +3.8% | 0.43% |
| 2021 | $552 +11.1% | 0.52% |
| 2020 | $497 | 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.
Van Buren County: tax takes only 1.3% of income
Counties near Van Buren County's effective rate
On effective rate, Van Buren County sits nearest Abbeville County (SC), Harding County (NM), Washoe County (NV).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Lyman County (SD), Clay County (FL), Iron County (MO).
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
Van Buren County: only 1% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 40 of 2,680 returns from Van Buren County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,175 - 100% 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 Tennessee
Van Buren County rate FAQs
- How does Van Buren County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Van Buren County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.44% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Van Buren County?
- Van Buren County, Tennessee scores A (85/100) 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 income room at A+ (1.3%). 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 Van Buren County, Tennessee?
- The median annual property tax in Van Buren County is $693, an effective rate of 0.44% on a $159,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Van Buren County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Van Buren County is recorded at $693 in the 2024 5-year release against $497 in 2020. That is a large swing, and it should be read as movement in a survey estimate rather than as a tax change: the median here rests on about 2,220 owner-occupied homes, and swings above 50% are roughly twelve times more common in the smallest counties than in the largest. Treat the two figures as imprecise and check the county assessor for actual rate changes.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Van Buren County?
- Property taxes in Van Buren County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.3% of the $54,931 median household income.
What to do with Van Buren County's QUIET rate
Van Buren County's $693 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 Van Buren County's $54,931 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Van Buren 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: 0.44%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $693/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Van Buren County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Van Buren County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Meigs County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Van Buren County at $693/yr; rate 0.39% vs Van Buren County 0.44%.
Wise County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Van Buren County at $693/yr; rate 0.58% vs Van Buren County 0.44%.
Lewis County, WV
ABS(median_tax) peer · $692/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.46% vs Van Buren County 0.44%.
Magoffin County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $694/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.78% vs Van Buren County 0.44%.
Tennessee county set
State ACS overview for every published Tennessee county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Van Buren 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 Van Buren County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.