North Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Wilkes County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Wilkes County pays $1,002 a year, an effective rate of 0.59%, far below the U.S. average.
- $1,002
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.59%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- -50%
- vs U.S. average
- #68 of 100
- rank in NC
The verdict
Homeowners in Wilkes County pay a median $1,002 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.59%, more affordable than 73% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,002
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.59%
- Effective rate on median home
- #846 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -50%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($168,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for North Carolina. Population: 65,935. Owner-occupied homes: 19,928.
The median annual property tax in Wilkes County is $1,002, which is 47% lower than the North Carolina state average and 50% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.59% on a median home value of $168,800. Property taxes represent 1.9% of the median household income in this county.
Wilkes County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Wilkes County's 0.59% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 73%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Wilkes County pay a median annual property tax of $1,002, far below the national median and well below the North Carolina state median. On a $168,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.59% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Wilkes County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $51,721 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of North Carolina counties by effective rate
Wilkes County ranks #68 of 100 counties in North Carolina by effective rate (32% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Wilkes 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
Wilkes County's effective rate fell 16.6% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 30.7%, leaving the median bill 8.9% higher at $1,002. That rate move is larger than the one in 71% 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
Very little moved here between 2020 and 2024: the typical bill went from $920 to $1,002, a change of 9%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 7,237 of 19,928 owner-occupied homes (36.3%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Incomes here are in the lowest quarter nationally while the rate sits just below the middle, and the median bill lands at 1.9% of median household income. The rate reads as unremarkable in a national ranking; the earnings behind it are not, and the ratio above is where the two meet.
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 Wilkes County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Wilkes County homeowners, 7,237 of 19,928 owner-occupied homes (36.3%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 35.1% (7,004)
- $800 to $1,499 36.3% (7,237)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.2% (2,233)
- $2,000 to $2,999 7.1% (1,423)
- $3,000 or more 6.3% (1,263)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
768 homes here (3.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how North Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Wilkes County, mortgaged homeowners pay 21% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Wilkes County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Wilkes County's effective rate is higher than 32% of the 100 counties in North Carolina - ranking #68 of 100.
Where Wilkes County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.59% Among the most affordable more affordable than 73% 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
Wilkes County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Wilkes County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 1.9% | - | - |
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.
Wilkes County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · North Carolina counties.
Wilkes County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,002 -0.1% | 0.59% |
| 2023 | $1,003 -0.2% | 0.62% |
| 2022 | $1,005 +7.9% | 0.69% |
| 2021 | $931 +1.2% | 0.70% |
| 2020 | $920 | 0.71% |
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.
Wilkes County: tax takes only 1.9% of income
Counties near Wilkes County's effective rate
On effective rate, Wilkes County sits nearest Curry County (NM), Treasure County (MT), Gallatin County (MT).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Livingston County (IL), Wabash County (IL), Brown County (NE).
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
Wilkes County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 910 of 28,070 returns from Wilkes County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,412 - 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 North Carolina
Wilkes County rate FAQs
- How does Wilkes County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Wilkes County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.59% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Wilkes County, North Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Wilkes County is $1,002, an effective rate of 0.59% on a $168,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Wilkes County?
- Wilkes County, North Carolina scores B- (68/100) 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+ ($1,002/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.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Wilkes County?
- Property taxes in Wilkes County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $51,721 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Wilkes County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Wilkes County climbed 8.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $920 to $1,002, 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 Wilkes County's QUIET rate
Wilkes County's $1,002 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 →
Income burden is light here: about 1.9% of Wilkes County's $51,721 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Wilkes County's QUIET 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: 0.59%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,002/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Wilkes County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Wilkes County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Cibola County, NM
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,003/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.80% vs Wilkes County 0.59%.
Hardin County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,001/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.96% vs Wilkes County 0.59%.
Yuma County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,003/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.47% vs Wilkes County 0.59%.
Alleghany County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,000/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.79% vs Wilkes County 0.59%.
North Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published North Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Wilkes County stamps QUIET · 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 Wilkes County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.