Maryland · County property tax · ACS 2024
Wicomico County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Wicomico County pays $2,171 a year, an effective rate of 0.85%, modestly above the U.S. average.
- $2,171
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.85%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +9%
- vs U.S. average
- #17 of 24
- rank in MD
The verdict
Homeowners in Wicomico County pay a median $2,171 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.85%, more affordable than 46% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,171
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.85%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1679 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +9%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($254,700). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Maryland. Population: 104,914. Owner-occupied homes: 25,203.
The median annual property tax in Wicomico County is $2,171, which is 47% lower than the Maryland state average and 9% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.85% on a median home value of $254,700. Property taxes represent 2.8% of the median household income in this county.
Wicomico County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Wicomico County's 0.85% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 46%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Maryland median
Homeowners in Wicomico County pay a median annual property tax of $2,171, modestly above the national median and well below the Maryland state median. On a $254,700 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.85% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Maryland counties by effective rate
Wicomico County ranks #17 of 24 counties in Maryland by effective rate (29% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Wicomico County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.8% of the $76,210 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Wicomico 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
Wicomico County's effective rate fell 17.3% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 37.7%, leaving the median bill 13.8% higher at $2,171. That rate move is larger than the one in 74% 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 $1,907 to $2,171, a gain of 14%. 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: 7,013 of 25,203 owner-occupied homes (27.8%) 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 2.8% 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 Wicomico County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Wicomico County homeowners, 7,013 of 25,203 owner-occupied homes (27.8%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 4.3% (1,089)
- $800 to $1,499 22.1% (5,573)
- $1,500 to $1,999 16.7% (4,198)
- $2,000 to $2,999 23.2% (5,838)
- $3,000 or more 27.8% (7,013)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,492 homes here (5.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Maryland handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Wicomico County pay about the same bill, a 7% gap.
Wicomico County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Wicomico County's effective rate is higher than 29% of the 24 counties in Maryland - ranking #17 of 24.
Where Wicomico County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.85% more affordable than 46% 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
Wicomico County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Wicomico County | Maryland 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 | 2.8% | - | - |
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.
Wicomico County is UNDER · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Maryland counties.
Wicomico County rate trail · UNDER
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,171 +2.4% | 0.85% |
| 2023 | $2,120 +4.3% | 0.89% |
| 2022 | $2,033 +5.2% | 0.90% |
| 2021 | $1,932 +1.3% | 1.01% |
| 2020 | $1,907 | 1.03% |
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.
Wicomico County: tax-to-income at 2.8%
Counties near Wicomico County's effective rate
On effective rate, Wicomico County sits nearest Lincoln County (ME), Upson County (GA), Harris County (GA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Beauregard Parish (LA), Muhlenberg County (KY), Calhoun County (IL).
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
Wicomico County: only 7% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 3,290 of 48,990 returns from Wicomico County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,389 - 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 Maryland
Wicomico County rate FAQs
- How does Wicomico County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Wicomico County run modestly above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.85% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Wicomico County, Maryland?
- The median annual property tax in Wicomico County is $2,171, an effective rate of 0.85% on a $254,700 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Wicomico County?
- Wicomico County, Maryland scores D (45/100) 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 B (+$145). 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 Wicomico County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Wicomico County climbed 13.8% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,907 to $2,171, 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 Wicomico County?
- Property taxes in Wicomico County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.8% of the $76,210 median household income.
What to do with Wicomico County's UNDER rate
Inside Maryland, Wicomico County's $2,171 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Maryland overview →
Wicomico County ranks #17 of 24 Maryland counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Maryland overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Wicomico 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: 0.85%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,171/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Wicomico County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Wicomico County (UNDER · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER MID
Sherman County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Wicomico County at $2,171/yr; rate 1.59% vs Wicomico County 0.85%.
Dawson County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,172/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.31% vs Wicomico County 0.85%.
Uvalde County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,173/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.44% vs Wicomico County 0.85%.
Beaufort County, SC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,174/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.48% vs Wicomico County 0.85%.
Maryland county set
State ACS overview for every published Maryland county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Wicomico County stamps UNDER · 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 Wicomico County (UNDER · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.