Maine · County property tax · ACS 2024
York County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in York County pays $3,787 a year, an effective rate of 0.96%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,787
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 0.96%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +90%
- vs U.S. average
- #13 of 16
- rank in ME
The verdict
Homeowners in York County pay a median $3,787 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.96%, more affordable than 39% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,787
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.96%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1923 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +90%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($395,700). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Maine. Population: 216,731. Owner-occupied homes: 70,685.
The median annual property tax in York County is $3,787, which is 25% higher than the Maine state average and 90% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.96% on a median home value of $395,700. Property taxes represent 4.3% of the median household income in this county.
Why York County's ACS bill runs high vs the U.S.
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in York County pay a median annual property tax of $3,787, far above the national median and well above the Maine state median. On a $395,700 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.96% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
High among Maine counties by effective rate
York County ranks #13 of 16 counties in Maine by effective rate (19% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in York County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.3% of the $88,333 median household income.
Decision signal 4
The effective rate sits near the national middle
York County's 0.96% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 39%).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in York 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 York County rose 51.7%, from $260,800 to $395,700. The effective rate fell 21.8% over the same span, a steeper move than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 18.7%, to $3,787. 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 $3,190 to $3,787, a gain of 19%. 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: 46,758 of 70,685 owner-occupied homes (66.1%) 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 4.3% 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 York County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of York County homeowners, 46,758 of 70,685 owner-occupied homes (66.1%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 4.0% (2,802)
- $800 to $1,499 5.1% (3,597)
- $1,500 to $1,999 6.0% (4,210)
- $2,000 to $2,999 17.7% (12,493)
- $3,000 or more 66.1% (46,758)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
825 homes here (1.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Maine handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in York County pay about the same bill, a 5% gap.
York County's bill vs state & U.S. medians
Median annual bill bars around York County's HEAVY ACS 2024 figure.
York County's median bill is 25% above the Maine median and 90% above the U.S. median.
Same rate as Maine, a larger bill
The effective rate here sits within 6% of the Maine median, yet the median bill runs 25% above it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to costlier housing produces $3,787 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
York County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | York County | Maine Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Highest-decile bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 4.3% | - | - |
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 York County's $3,787 median bill appeal-worthy?
At York County's $3,787 ACS median (HEAVY), a 10% assessment cut is worth about $379/yr before exemptions. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Maine.
York County bill trail · HEAVY
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,787 +2.6% | 0.96% |
| 2023 | $3,691 +3.3% | 1.03% |
| 2022 | $3,574 +7.2% | 1.10% |
| 2021 | $3,333 +4.5% | 1.20% |
| 2020 | $3,190 | 1.22% |
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.
York County: tax takes 4.3% of income
Counties near York County's median bill
On effective rate, York County sits nearest Letcher County (KY), Nemaha County (KS), Hardin County (IL).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Pasquotank County (NC), Rolette County (ND), Lane County (KS).
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
York County: only 7% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 7,970 of 118,270 returns from York County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,071 - 32% 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 Maine
York County bill FAQs
- How does York County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in York County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.96% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in York County, Maine?
- The median annual property tax in York County is $3,787, an effective rate of 0.96% on a $395,700 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in York County?
- Property taxes in York County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.3% of the $88,333 median household income.
- What is the tax affordability score for York County?
- York County, Maine scores F (28/100) 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- (+$182). 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 York County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for York County climbed 18.7% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $3,190 to $3,787, 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 York County's HEAVY bill
York County's $3,787 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
York County ranks #13 of 16 Maine counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Maine overview →
Nationwide peers by median bill (then rate)
Bill-first peers for York County's HEAVY 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: 0.96%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,787/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with York County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for York County (UNDER · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER HEAVY
Knox County, ME
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,786/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.17% vs York County 0.96%.
Chisago County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,780/yr (near-tied bill ABS $7); rate 1.07% vs York County 0.96%.
Douglas County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,776/yr (near-tied bill ABS $11); rate 1.22% vs York County 0.96%.
Washington County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,802/yr (near-tied bill ABS $15); rate 1.10% vs York County 0.96%.
Maine county set
State ACS overview for every published Maine county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
York County stamps UNDER · 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 York County (UNDER · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.