North Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Washington County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Washington County pays $1,252 a year, an effective rate of 0.99%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,252
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.99%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -37%
- vs U.S. average
- #5 of 100
- rank in NC
The verdict
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median $1,252 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.99%, more affordable than 36% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,252
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.99%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2004 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -37%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($125,900). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for North Carolina. Population: 10,812. Owner-occupied homes: 3,227.
The median annual property tax in Washington County is $1,252, which is 34% lower than the North Carolina state average and 37% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.99% on a median home value of $125,900. 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 0.99% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 36%).
Decision signal 2
Low among North Carolina counties by effective rate
Washington County ranks #5 of 100 counties in North Carolina by effective rate (95% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median annual property tax of $1,252, well below the national median and well below the North Carolina state median. On a $125,900 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.99% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 4
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has ticked up 4.2%, from $1,202 to $1,252. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Decision signal 5
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 $41,813 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.
How to read this county's bill
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 34% from $937 to $1,252. 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 1,099 of 3,227 owner-occupied homes (34.1%). 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, 1,099 of 3,227 owner-occupied homes (34.1%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 24.8% (799)
- $800 to $1,499 34.1% (1,099)
- $1,500 to $1,999 19.8% (638)
- $2,000 to $2,999 11.0% (354)
- $3,000 or more 8.8% (284)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
53 homes here (1.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how North Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Washington County, mortgaged homeowners pay 26% 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 95% of the 100 counties in North Carolina - ranking #5 of 100.
Where Washington County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.99% more affordable than 36% 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
A high rate, a smaller bill
Washington County taxes property at 0.99%, about 50% above the North Carolina average, yet its median bill of $1,252 lands roughly 34% below it. The effective rate is the bill divided by the home's value, so a county can only sit on opposite sides of the state average this way when its homes are worth materially less than the state norm. The rate is the policy; the bill is what the housing market does with it.
Washington County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Washington County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-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 UNDER · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · North Carolina counties.
Washington County rate trail · UNDER
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,252 +4.2% | 0.99% |
| 2023 | $1,202 +4.3% | 1.12% |
| 2022 | $1,152 +15.4% | 1.18% |
| 2021 | $998 +6.5% | 1.16% |
| 2020 | $937 | 1.08% |
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 Carroll County (NH), Polk County (NE), Fillmore County (NE).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Cowley County (KS), Simpson County (MS), Ringgold County (IA).
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 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 140 of 4,910 returns from Washington County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,464 - 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 North Carolina
Washington County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Washington County, North Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Washington County is $1,252, an effective rate of 0.99% on a $125,900 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Washington County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Washington County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.99% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Washington County?
- Washington County, North Carolina scores D (46/100) 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 bill size at B- ($1,252/yr). 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.
- Are property taxes increasing in Washington County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Washington County is recorded at $1,252 in the 2024 5-year release against $937 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 3,227 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 Washington County?
- Property taxes in Washington County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.0% of the $41,813 median household income.
What to do with Washington County's UNDER rate
Washington County's $1,252 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 →
Washington County ranks #5 of 100 North Carolina counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. North Carolina overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Washington County's UNDER 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: 0.99%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,252/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 (UNDER · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER LIGHT
Coleman County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $1,252/yr; rate 1.35% vs Washington County 0.99%.
Jefferson County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $1,252/yr; rate 0.64% vs Washington County 0.99%.
Lee County, AL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $1,252/yr; rate 0.48% vs Washington County 0.99%.
Marshall County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $1,252/yr; rate 0.72% vs Washington County 0.99%.
North Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published North Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Washington County stamps UNDER · 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 Washington County (UNDER · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.