Maine · County property tax · ACS 2024
Washington County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Washington County pays $1,683 a year, an effective rate of 1.04%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,683
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.04%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -16%
- vs U.S. average
- #11 of 16
- rank in ME
The verdict
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median $1,683 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.04%, more affordable than 32% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,683
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.04%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2125 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 ($161,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Maine. Population: 31,331. Owner-occupied homes: 11,301.
The median annual property tax in Washington County is $1,683, which is 45% lower than the Maine state average and 16% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.04% on a median home value of $161,800. Property taxes represent 3.0% of the median household income in this county.
Washington County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Washington 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 below the Maine median
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median annual property tax of $1,683, notably lower than the national median and well below the Maine state median. On a $161,800 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
Washington 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 Washington County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.0% of the $56,024 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Washington 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 Washington County rose 40.5%, from $115,200 to $161,800. The effective rate fell 19.4% over the same span, a steeper move than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 13.2%, to $1,683. 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 $1,487 to $1,683, a gain of 13%. 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 2,689 of 11,301 owner-occupied homes (23.8%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
This county earns in the bottom quarter of the country and taxes above the median rate, so the median bill absorbs 3.0% of median household income. The rate alone understates that; it is the pairing that matters.
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 Washington County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Washington County homeowners, 2,689 of 11,301 owner-occupied homes (23.8%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 17.7% (2,000)
- $800 to $1,499 23.8% (2,689)
- $1,500 to $1,999 16.2% (1,833)
- $2,000 to $2,999 17.4% (1,963)
- $3,000 or more 19.8% (2,233)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
583 homes here (5.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Maine handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Washington County, mortgaged homeowners pay 28% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Washington County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Washington County's effective rate is higher than 31% of the 16 counties in Maine - ranking #11 of 16.
Where Washington 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
Same rate as Maine, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 2% of the Maine median, yet the median bill runs 45% 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 $1,683 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Washington County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Washington County | Maine Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.0% | - | - |
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.
Washington County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Maine counties.
Washington County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,683 +1.8% | 1.04% |
| 2023 | $1,654 +2.2% | 1.12% |
| 2022 | $1,619 +6.4% | 1.20% |
| 2021 | $1,521 +2.3% | 1.29% |
| 2020 | $1,487 | 1.29% |
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.
Washington County: tax-to-income at 3.0%
Counties near Washington County's effective rate
On effective rate, Washington County sits nearest Terrell County (GA), Montgomery County (GA), Liberty County (GA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Saline County (KS), Lynchburg city (VA), Macon County (GA).
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
Washington County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 330 of 15,110 returns from Washington County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,373 - 36% 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
Washington County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Washington County?
- Washington County, Maine scores F (39/100) 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 housing pressure at C- (2.89×). 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.
- How does Washington County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Washington County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.04% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Washington County, Maine?
- The median annual property tax in Washington County is $1,683, an effective rate of 1.04% on a $161,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Washington County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Washington County climbed 13.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,487 to $1,683, 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 Washington County?
- Property taxes in Washington County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.0% of the $56,024 median household income.
What to do with Washington County's PAR rate
Inside Maine, Washington County's $1,683 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Maine overview →
Washington 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 Washington 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: $1,683/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Washington County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Washington County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Hardin County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $1,683/yr; rate 1.37% vs Washington County 1.04%.
Hodgeman County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $1,683/yr; rate 1.66% vs Washington County 1.04%.
Sevier County, UT
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $1,683/yr; rate 0.54% vs Washington County 1.04%.
Thurston County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,682/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.47% vs Washington County 1.04%.
Maine county set
State ACS overview for every published Maine county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Washington 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 Washington County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.