Rhode Island · County property tax · ACS 2024
Washington County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Washington County pays $5,102 a year, an effective rate of 1.00%, far above the U.S. average.
- $5,102
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 1.00%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +156%
- vs U.S. average
- #4 of 5
- rank in RI
The verdict
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median $5,102 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.00%, more affordable than 35% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $5,102
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.00%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2029 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +156%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($510,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Rhode Island. Population: 130,344. Owner-occupied homes: 40,742.
The median annual property tax in Washington County is $5,102, which is 4% higher than the Rhode Island state average and 156% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.00% on a median home value of $510,800. Property taxes represent 4.8% of the median household income in this county.
Why Washington County's ACS bill runs high vs the U.S.
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median annual property tax of $5,102, far above the national median and modestly above the Rhode Island state median. On a $510,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.00% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Washington County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.8% of the $106,638 median household income.
Decision signal 3
High among Rhode Island counties by effective rate
Washington County ranks #4 of 5 counties in Rhode Island by effective rate (20% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Washington County's 1.00% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 35%).
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 42.2%, from $359,300 to $510,800. The effective rate fell 19.0% over the same span, a steeper move than in 79% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 15.1%, to $5,102. 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 $4,432 to $5,102, a gain of 15%. 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: 33,909 of 40,742 owner-occupied homes (83.2%) 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 4.8% 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, 33,909 of 40,742 owner-occupied homes (83.2%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 2.1% (871)
- $800 to $1,499 1.6% (663)
- $1,500 to $1,999 2.1% (872)
- $2,000 to $2,999 10.0% (4,071)
- $3,000 or more 83.2% (33,909)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Washington County pay about the same bill, within a 6% gap either way.
Washington County's bill vs state & U.S. medians
Median annual bill bars around Washington County's SPIKE ACS 2024 figure.
Washington County's median bill is 4% above the Rhode Island median and 156% above the U.S. median.
Same bill as Rhode Island, a lower rate
The median bill lands within 4% of the Rhode Island median while the effective rate runs 17% below it. The two offset each other: a gentler rate applied to more valuable housing arrives at roughly the state's own $5,102. A rate ranking would place this county far from the middle; the bill does not.
Washington County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Washington County | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Highest-decile bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 4.8% | - | - |
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.
Is Washington County's $5,102 median bill appeal-worthy?
At Washington County's $5,102 ACS median (SPIKE), a 10% assessment cut is worth about $510/yr before exemptions. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Rhode Island.
Washington County bill trail · SPIKE
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,102 +3.0% | 1.00% |
| 2023 | $4,954 +2.9% | 1.05% |
| 2022 | $4,815 +5.4% | 1.10% |
| 2021 | $4,569 +3.1% | 1.20% |
| 2020 | $4,432 | 1.23% |
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 takes 4.8% of income
Counties near Washington County's median bill
On effective rate, Washington County sits nearest Jefferson County (PA), Cleveland County (OK), Ross County (OH).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Camden County (NJ), Yamhill County (OR), Bennington County (VT).
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 10% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 6,550 of 68,250 returns from Washington County reported real estate taxes, averaging $7,752 - 34% 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 Rhode Island
Washington County bill FAQs
- How does Washington County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Washington County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.00% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Washington County, Rhode Island?
- The median annual property tax in Washington County is $5,102, an effective rate of 1.00% on a $510,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Washington County?
- Property taxes in Washington County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.8% of the $106,638 median household income.
- What is the tax affordability score for Washington County?
- Washington County, Rhode Island scores F (29/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-340). 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 climbed 15.1% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $4,432 to $5,102, 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 to do with Washington County's SPIKE bill
Washington County's $5,102 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 #4 of 5 Rhode Island counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Rhode Island overview →
Nationwide peers by median bill (then rate)
Bill-first peers for Washington County's SPIKE median, then a disjoint out-of-state rate set, not the same-state geography lattice.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.00%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $5,102/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 · SPIKE), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR SPIKE
Santa Barbara County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $5,103/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.65% vs Washington County 1.00%.
Windham County, VT
ABS(median_tax) peer · $5,062/yr (near-tied bill ABS $40); rate 1.81% vs Washington County 1.00%.
Cumberland County, NJ
ABS(median_tax) peer · $5,052/yr (lower bill ABS $50); rate 2.28% vs Washington County 1.00%.
Clackamas County, OR
ABS(median_tax) peer · $5,171/yr (higher bill ABS $69); rate 0.85% vs Washington County 1.00%.
Rhode Island county set
State ACS overview for every published Rhode Island county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Washington County stamps PAR · SPIKE - 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 · SPIKE) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.