NORTH CAROLINA PROPERTY TAX · 2026
North Carolina property tax calculator
North Carolina's effective property tax rate is 0.663%: owner-occupiers paid a median $1,896 a year on homes with a median value of $288,900. On a $300,000 home, that rate comes to $1,989.00 a year.
Property tax estimate
- Property tax a year
- $1,989.00
- A month
- $165.75
- Rate
- 0.663%, statewide
North Carolina property tax by county
| County | Effective rate | Median tax | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alamance County | 0.657% | $1,494 | $241,500 |
| Alexander County | 0.595% | $1,269 | $211,800 |
| Alleghany County | 0.57% | $1,217 | $214,800 |
| Anson County | 0.685% | $1,141 | $148,600 |
| Ashe County | 0.458% | $1,190 | $243,100 |
| Avery County | 0.375% | $1,010 | $265,800 |
| Beaufort County | 0.582% | $1,300 | $192,700 |
| Bertie County | 0.616% | $778 | $98,500 |
| Bladen County | 0.741% | $1,227 | $135,100 |
| Brunswick County | 0.519% | $1,890 | $349,800 |
| Buncombe County | 0.566% | $2,222 | $391,800 |
| Burke County | 0.612% | $1,253 | $185,400 |
| Cabarrus County | 0.736% | $2,586 | $354,800 |
| Caldwell County | 0.608% | $1,150 | $192,200 |
| Camden County | 0.509% | $1,952 | $337,100 |
| Carteret County | 0.442% | $1,423 | $333,300 |
| Caswell County | 0.67% | $1,140 | $164,500 |
| Catawba County | 0.585% | $1,407 | $241,600 |
| Chatham County | 0.616% | $2,847 | $446,200 |
| Cherokee County | 0.451% | $1,064 | $232,300 |
| Chowan County | 0.63% | $1,677 | $235,800 |
| Clay County | 0.462% | $1,186 | $278,400 |
| Cleveland County | 0.644% | $1,286 | $200,000 |
| Columbus County | 0.732% | $1,120 | $146,000 |
| Craven County | 0.649% | $1,450 | $231,600 |
| Cumberland County | 0.875% | $1,850 | $199,200 |
| Currituck County | 0.474% | $1,760 | $378,800 |
| Dare County | 0.509% | $2,391 | $460,400 |
| Davidson County | 0.554% | $1,320 | $219,100 |
| Davie County | 0.609% | $1,595 | $253,900 |
| Duplin County | 0.679% | $950 | $137,400 |
| Durham County | 0.812% | $3,092 | $389,400 |
| Edgecombe County | 0.884% | $1,306 | $125,100 |
| Forsyth County | 0.804% | $1,984 | $250,400 |
| Franklin County | 0.701% | $1,834 | $284,300 |
| Gaston County | 0.772% | $1,982 | $266,000 |
| Gates County | 0.579% | $1,296 | $170,800 |
| Graham County | 0.494% | $979 | $170,600 |
| Granville County | 0.611% | $1,664 | $247,700 |
| Greene County | 0.781% | $1,041 | $117,400 |
| Guilford County | 0.831% | $2,174 | $259,900 |
| Halifax County | 0.895% | $1,216 | $106,200 |
| Harnett County | 0.683% | $1,689 | $246,200 |
| Haywood County | 0.535% | $1,583 | $279,200 |
| Henderson County | 0.494% | $1,810 | $351,400 |
| Hertford County | 0.864% | $1,168 | $119,200 |
| Hoke County | 0.571% | $1,465 | $219,300 |
| Hyde County | 0.624% | $975 | $124,000 |
| Iredell County | 0.577% | $1,952 | $321,400 |
| Jackson County | 0.313% | $976 | $284,700 |
| Johnston County | 0.644% | $1,908 | $305,600 |
| Jones County | 0.691% | $964 | $130,300 |
| Lee County | 0.764% | $1,785 | $240,200 |
| Lenoir County | 0.736% | $1,015 | $120,500 |
| Lincoln County | 0.615% | $1,856 | $321,000 |
| Macon County | 0.388% | $1,074 | $251,900 |
| Madison County | 0.479% | $1,362 | $284,600 |
| Martin County | 0.941% | $1,168 | $109,700 |
| McDowell County | 0.491% | $911 | $171,100 |
| Mecklenburg County | 0.692% | $2,890 | $406,800 |
| Mitchell County | 0.543% | $1,141 | $220,100 |
| Montgomery County | 0.576% | $1,037 | $161,700 |
| Moore County | 0.569% | $1,849 | $351,400 |
| Nash County | 0.661% | $1,362 | $191,000 |
| New Hanover County | 0.55% | $2,105 | $387,800 |
| Northampton County | 0.782% | $1,239 | $114,500 |
| Onslow County | 0.641% | $1,502 | $236,400 |
| Orange County | 0.962% | $4,162 | $459,500 |
| Pamlico County | 0.592% | $1,218 | $216,800 |
| Pasquotank County | 0.637% | $1,573 | $234,600 |
| Pender County | 0.547% | $1,883 | $299,000 |
| Perquimans County | 0.586% | $1,375 | $231,700 |
| Person County | 0.68% | $1,328 | $213,900 |
| Pitt County | 0.812% | $1,734 | $208,900 |
| Polk County | 0.501% | $1,697 | $315,000 |
| Randolph County | 0.671% | $1,324 | $197,100 |
| Richmond County | 0.781% | $1,138 | $127,800 |
| Robeson County | 0.798% | $820 | $94,500 |
| Rockingham County | 0.75% | $1,258 | $168,600 |
| Rowan County | 0.674% | $1,554 | $238,400 |
| Rutherford County | 0.622% | $1,178 | $201,800 |
| Sampson County | 0.752% | $1,130 | $150,700 |
| Scotland County | 0.67% | $1,068 | $114,900 |
| Stanly County | 0.572% | $1,385 | $242,400 |
| Stokes County | 0.594% | $1,179 | $196,700 |
| Surry County | 0.585% | $1,071 | $177,600 |
| Swain County | 0.224% | $859 | $207,000 |
| Transylvania County | 0.461% | $1,674 | $373,600 |
| Tyrrell County | 0.629% | $1,331 | $164,500 |
| Union County | 0.572% | $2,396 | $417,300 |
| Vance County | 0.653% | $1,256 | $161,500 |
| Wake County | 0.689% | $3,260 | $461,300 |
| Warren County | 0.664% | $1,093 | $154,200 |
| Washington County | 0.934% | $1,252 | $125,900 |
| Watauga County | 0.417% | $1,386 | $358,900 |
| Wayne County | 0.732% | $1,249 | $178,700 |
| Wilkes County | 0.573% | $1,002 | $168,800 |
| Wilson County | 0.803% | $1,471 | $186,000 |
| Yadkin County | 0.588% | $1,220 | $181,200 |
| Yancey County | 0.453% | $1,157 | $243,100 |
North Carolina homestead exemption
- North Carolina's elderly and disabled exclusion takes the greater of $25,000 or 50% of appraised value off the permanent residence of an owner 65 or older or totally and permanently disabled, with 2026 income of $38,800 or less.
- North Carolina appraises property at its true value in money, its market value.
- Apply to the county assessor by June 1.
- A constitutional amendment on the November 3, 2026 ballot would require the General Assembly to set limits on yearly increases in local property tax levies; it does not change the exclusion.
This is the property tax homestead exemption, not the homestead exemption that protects a home from creditors in bankruptcy.
North Carolina property tax questions
How much is property tax in North Carolina?
North Carolina's effective property tax rate is 0.663%: owner-occupiers paid a median $1,896 a year on homes with a median value of $288,900. On a $300,000 home, that rate comes to $1,989.00 a year.
Which county in North Carolina has the highest property tax?
Orange County, with an effective rate of 0.962%; Swain County has the lowest, at 0.224%. On a $300,000 home that is $2,886.00 a year in Orange County and $672.00 in Swain County.
Does North Carolina have a homestead exemption?
North Carolina's elderly and disabled exclusion takes the greater of $25,000 or 50% of appraised value off the permanent residence of an owner 65 or older or totally and permanently disabled, with 2026 income of $38,800 or less. The calculator does not subtract it: the rates already reflect the exemptions owners received.
Why might a North Carolina tax bill differ from this estimate?
The rate is what owner-occupiers in North Carolina paid on average in 2020 through 2024, as a share of their homes' value. An actual bill depends on the home's assessed value, the levies where it sits and the exemptions its owner claims.
What the calculator leaves out
- The rate is the total real estate tax owner-occupiers reported paying divided by the total value they reported for their homes, not a tax rate set by law.
- The rate already reflects the exemptions, caps and credits typical owner-occupiers received, so the calculator does not subtract a homestead exemption again.
- An actual bill depends on the home's assessed value, the levies where it sits and the exemptions its owner claims.
- Survey estimates for small counties have wide margins of error.
Rates and medians are American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates: taxes owners paid in those years, not 2026 bills.
Sources
- Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 table B25090: aggregate real estate taxes paid
- Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 table B25082: aggregate value of owner-occupied homes
- Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 table B25103: median real estate taxes paid
- Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 table B25077: median home value
- North Carolina General Statutes 105-277.1
- North Carolina 2026 Form AV-9
- North Carolina General Statutes 105-283
- North Carolina Session Law 2026-5