Pennsylvania · County property tax · ACS 2024
Washington County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Washington County pays $2,485 a year, an effective rate of 1.09%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,485
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.09%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +25%
- vs U.S. average
- #53 of 67
- rank in PA
The verdict
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median $2,485 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.09%, more affordable than 29% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,485
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.09%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2220 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +25%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($228,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Pennsylvania. Population: 210,042. Owner-occupied homes: 67,353.
The median annual property tax in Washington County is $2,485, which is 25% lower than the Pennsylvania state average and 25% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.09% on a median home value of $228,500. Property taxes represent 3.1% 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 1.09% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 29%).
Decision signal 2
High among Pennsylvania counties by effective rate
Washington County ranks #53 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by effective rate (21% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median annual property tax of $2,485, well above the national median and well below the Pennsylvania state median. On a $228,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.09% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
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 3.1% of the $78,958 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Washington County's effective rate fell 12.9% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 33.8%, leaving the median bill 16.6% higher at $2,485. That rate move is larger than the one in 53% 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 $2,132 to $2,485, a gain of 17%. 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: 26,290 of 67,353 owner-occupied homes (39.0%) 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.
Earnings are in the national top quarter and the rate is above the midpoint, so the median bill represents 3.1% of median household income. A headline bill conflates the dollar figure with the proportion; the two come apart here, and the ratio above is the second of them.
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, 26,290 of 67,353 owner-occupied homes (39.0%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 15.3% (10,334)
- $800 to $1,499 14.0% (9,424)
- $1,500 to $1,999 10.3% (6,917)
- $2,000 to $2,999 19.2% (12,917)
- $3,000 or more 39.0% (26,290)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,471 homes here (2.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Pennsylvania handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Washington County pay a substantially higher bill, 38% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
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 21% of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania - ranking #53 of 67.
Where Washington County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.09% more affordable than 29% 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
Below Pennsylvania on both measures
Washington County's effective rate runs 16% under the Pennsylvania median and its bill 25% under. Both sitting on the same side means the gap is not a valuation artefact: a county can post a low rate purely because its homes are expensive, but then the bill rises to meet the state. Here it does not, so the $2,485 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Pennsylvania norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Washington County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Washington County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.1% | - | - |
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 · Pennsylvania counties.
Washington County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,485 +1.6% | 1.09% |
| 2023 | $2,445 +3.0% | 1.11% |
| 2022 | $2,374 +6.8% | 1.15% |
| 2021 | $2,223 +4.3% | 1.24% |
| 2020 | $2,132 | 1.25% |
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 3.1%
Counties near Washington County's effective rate
On effective rate, Washington County sits nearest Pierce County (ND), Lake County (MI), Kennebec County (ME).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Towns County (GA), DuPage County (IL), Beadle County (SD).
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 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 5,160 of 104,620 returns from Washington County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,523 - 41% of those reporters sat in the $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 Pennsylvania
Washington County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Washington County?
- Washington County, Pennsylvania scores F (29/100) 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.
- What is the average property tax in Washington County, Pennsylvania?
- The median annual property tax in Washington County is $2,485, an effective rate of 1.09% on a $228,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Washington County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Washington County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.09% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Washington County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Washington County climbed 16.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,132 to $2,485, 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 3.1% of the $78,958 median household income.
What to do with Washington County's PAR rate
Washington County's $2,485 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Washington County ranks #53 of 67 Pennsylvania counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Pennsylvania 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: 1.09%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,485/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
Wayne County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,486/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.12% vs Washington County 1.09%.
Genesee County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,487/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.36% vs Washington County 1.09%.
Hendricks County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,482/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.81% vs Washington County 1.09%.
Penobscot County, ME
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,481/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.16% vs Washington County 1.09%.
Pennsylvania county set
State ACS overview for every published Pennsylvania 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.