Carter County, Kentucky property tax
The median homeowner in Carter County, Kentucky pays $622 a year in property tax on a home worth $126,100, an effective rate of 0.49%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 0.49%, Carter County taxes property more lightly than the national 0.98%. With a median home at $126,100, that produces a bill of $622. Somebody still funds the schools, so it is worth knowing what a low-tax county collects instead.
Inside Kentucky it is among the lightest, ranking #115 of 116, against a statewide 0.77%. Campbell County, in the same state, charges 1.06%. Comparing states on property tax hides differences like that, which is why this site publishes counties.
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income of $50,389, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 78.45% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. With 26,515 residents, the sample behind these medians is small, and the survey's own margins of error are correspondingly wider.
The rate is derived rather than quoted. How and why.
What that costs at different home values
Arithmetic at the county effective rate, before any exemption or assessment cap.
Housing and income
| Carter County | Kentucky | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.49% | 0.77% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $622 | $1,472 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $126,100 | $192,300 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $701 | $933 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $50,389 | $62,417 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.5× | 3.08× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 16.69% | 17.94% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 78.45% | 68.28% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 26,515.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grayson County | 0.56% | $896 | $160,100 |
| Taylor County | 0.72% | $1,174 | $163,700 |
| Harlan County | 0.99% | $722 | $73,100 |
| Woodford County | 0.74% | $2,003 | $270,400 |
| Logan County | 0.62% | $945 | $151,500 |
Carter County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Carter County, Kentucky?
The effective rate is 0.49% of home value, from a median tax bill of $622 against a median home value of $126,100. That is 0.49 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Carter County?
Roughly $1,960 a year at the county effective rate of 0.49%.
Is Carter County expensive compared with the rest of Kentucky?
It ranks #115 of 116 Kentucky counties by effective property tax rate, and #2456 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.28 points below the Kentucky average of 0.77%.
What does housing cost in Carter County?
The median home is worth $126,100 and median gross rent is $701 a month. Median household income is $50,389, which puts the home at 2.5 times annual income and rent at 16.69% of it.