Maine · County property tax · ACS 2024
Waldo County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Waldo County pays $2,684 a year, an effective rate of 1.04%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,684
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.04%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +35%
- vs U.S. average
- #11 of 16
- rank in ME
The verdict
Homeowners in Waldo County pay a median $2,684 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.04%, more affordable than 32% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,684
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.04%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2125 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +35%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($257,700). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Maine. Population: 40,192. Owner-occupied homes: 14,312.
The median annual property tax in Waldo County is $2,684, which is 12% lower than the Maine state average and 35% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.04% on a median home value of $257,700. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.
Waldo County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Waldo County's 1.04% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 32%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Waldo County pay a median annual property tax of $2,684, well above the national median and notably lower than the Maine state median. On a $257,700 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.04% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Maine counties by effective rate
Waldo County ranks #11 of 16 counties in Maine by effective rate (31% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Waldo County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $72,782 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Waldo 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 Waldo County rose 52.1%, from $169,400 to $257,700. The effective rate fell 20.6% over the same span, a steeper move than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 20.8%, to $2,684. 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
Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $2,222 to $2,684, a gain of 21%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 5,864 of 14,312 owner-occupied homes (41.0%) report annual real-estate taxes above $3,000. That band has no upper edge in the source, so the county median understates the burden carried by the plurality rather than describing it.
Both the income and the rate here sit in the third quarter nationally, and the median bill is 3.7% of median household income. Two above-average figures pulling in opposite directions is why the rate on its own is a poor guide.
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 Waldo County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Waldo County homeowners, 5,864 of 14,312 owner-occupied homes (41.0%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 5.9% (839)
- $800 to $1,499 14.4% (2,066)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.6% (1,660)
- $2,000 to $2,999 24.7% (3,530)
- $3,000 or more 41.0% (5,864)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
353 homes here (2.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Maine handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Waldo County pay about the same bill, a 7% gap.
Waldo County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Waldo County's effective rate is higher than 31% of the 16 counties in Maine - ranking #11 of 16.
Where Waldo County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.04% more affordable than 32% 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
Waldo County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Waldo County | Maine Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.7% | - | - |
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.
Waldo County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Maine counties.
Waldo County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,684 +3.5% | 1.04% |
| 2023 | $2,593 +3.8% | 1.08% |
| 2022 | $2,499 +4.6% | 1.19% |
| 2021 | $2,388 +7.5% | 1.30% |
| 2020 | $2,222 | 1.31% |
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.
Waldo County: tax-to-income at 3.7%
Counties near Waldo County's effective rate
On effective rate, Waldo County sits nearest Terrell County (GA), Montgomery County (GA), Liberty County (GA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Fayette County (IL), Johnson County (IL), Burleigh County (ND).
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
Waldo County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 780 of 20,270 returns from Waldo County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,582 - 32% 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 Maine
Waldo County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Waldo County?
- Waldo County, Maine scores F (33/100) 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 mortgage premium at B- (+$184). 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 Waldo County, Maine?
- The median annual property tax in Waldo County is $2,684, an effective rate of 1.04% on a $257,700 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Waldo County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Waldo County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.04% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Waldo County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Waldo County jumped 20.8% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,222 to $2,684, 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Waldo County?
- Property taxes in Waldo County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $72,782 median household income.
What to do with Waldo County's PAR rate
Waldo County's $2,684 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Waldo County ranks #11 of 16 Maine counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Maine overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Waldo County's PAR 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: 1.04%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,684/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Waldo County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Waldo County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Ellis County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,682/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.24% vs Waldo County 1.04%.
Morton County, ND
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,686/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.02% vs Waldo County 1.04%.
Lewis County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,688/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.62% vs Waldo County 1.04%.
Stanley County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,679/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 1.32% vs Waldo County 1.04%.
Maine county set
State ACS overview for every published Maine county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Waldo County stamps PAR · 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 Waldo County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.