Pennsylvania · County property tax · ACS 2024
Wayne County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Wayne County pays $3,039 a year, an effective rate of 1.26%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,039
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.26%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +52%
- vs U.S. average
- #35 of 67
- rank in PA
The verdict
Homeowners in Wayne County pay a median $3,039 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.26%, more affordable than 21% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,039
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.26%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2487 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +52%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($242,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Pennsylvania. Population: 51,262. Owner-occupied homes: 16,811.
The median annual property tax in Wayne County is $3,039, which is 8% lower than the Pennsylvania state average and 52% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.26% on a median home value of $242,100. Property taxes represent 4.9% of the median household income in this county.
Wayne County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Wayne County's 1.26% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 21%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Wayne County pay a median annual property tax of $3,039, far above the national median and modestly below the Pennsylvania state median. On a $242,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.26% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Wayne County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.9% of the $62,381 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Pennsylvania counties by effective rate
Wayne County ranks #35 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by effective rate (48% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Wayne 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
Wayne County's effective rate fell 14.2% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 35.5%, leaving the median bill 16.2% higher at $3,039. That rate move is larger than the one in 60% 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 $2,615 to $3,039, a gain of 16%. 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: 8,281 of 16,811 owner-occupied homes (49.3%) 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.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 4.9% of median household income. A rate ranking places this county by the rate alone; the ratio above is the figure that accounts for what is earned here.
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 Wayne County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Wayne County homeowners, 8,281 of 16,811 owner-occupied homes (49.3%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 9.1% (1,528)
- $800 to $1,499 13.3% (2,239)
- $1,500 to $1,999 7.7% (1,291)
- $2,000 to $2,999 17.7% (2,969)
- $3,000 or more 49.3% (8,281)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
503 homes here (3.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Pennsylvania handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Wayne County pay about the same bill, a 8% gap.
Wayne County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Wayne County's effective rate is higher than 48% of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania - ranking #35 of 67.
Where Wayne County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.26% more affordable than 21% 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
Close to the Pennsylvania median on both measures
Rate and bill both land within 10% of the Pennsylvania medians here, which makes Wayne County a reasonable stand-in for the state when comparing against counties elsewhere. It also means the county-level figure adds little beyond the state figure for this particular comparison; the $3,039 median bill and the state median tell substantially the same story.
Wayne County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Wayne County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 4.9% | - | - |
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.
Wayne County is PAR · HEAVY on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Pennsylvania counties.
Wayne County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,039 +5.4% | 1.26% |
| 2023 | $2,882 +4.5% | 1.26% |
| 2022 | $2,759 +3.1% | 1.31% |
| 2021 | $2,675 +2.3% | 1.41% |
| 2020 | $2,615 | 1.46% |
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.
Wayne County: tax takes 4.9% of income
Counties near Wayne County's effective rate
On effective rate, Wayne County sits nearest Stanton County (NE), Banner County (NE), Pennington County (MN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Lewis County (NY), Gallatin County (IL), Rockwall County (TX).
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
Wayne County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,080 of 25,390 returns from Wayne County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,971 - 33% 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 Pennsylvania
Wayne County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Wayne County?
- Wayne County, Pennsylvania scores F (22/100) 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 C (+$239). 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 Wayne County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Wayne County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.26% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Wayne County, Pennsylvania?
- The median annual property tax in Wayne County is $3,039, an effective rate of 1.26% on a $242,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Wayne County?
- Property taxes in Wayne County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.9% of the $62,381 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Wayne County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Wayne County climbed 16.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,615 to $3,039, 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 Wayne County's PAR rate
Wayne County's $3,039 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Wayne County ranks #35 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 Wayne 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: 1.26%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,039/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Wayne County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Wayne County (PAR · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR HEAVY
Otsego County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,041/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.70% vs Wayne County 1.26%.
Essex County, VT
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,035/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.76% vs Wayne County 1.26%.
Nicollet County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,046/yr (near-tied bill ABS $7); rate 1.13% vs Wayne County 1.26%.
Manatee County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,047/yr (near-tied bill ABS $8); rate 0.78% vs Wayne County 1.26%.
Pennsylvania county set
State ACS overview for every published Pennsylvania county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Wayne County stamps PAR · HEAVY - 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 Wayne County (PAR · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.