Knox County, Maine property tax
The median homeowner in Knox County, Maine pays $3,643 a year in property tax on a home worth $290,800, an effective rate of 1.25%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 1.25%, Knox County taxes property more heavily than the country as a whole, which sits at 0.98%. Unusually, the housing is not cheap either. A rate above the national average on a home worth $290,800 produces a bill of $3,643, and both halves of that are working against the owner.
Inside Maine it is one of the most heavily taxed counties there is, ranking #3 of 16, against a statewide 1.10%. At the other end of the same state, Hancock County charges 0.88%. A spread that wide inside one state is normal, because school districts, not states, set most of the levy.
The median home costs 4.04 times the median household income of $71,903, close to the national 3.86. With 40,860 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
| Knox County | Maine | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.25% | 1.10% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $3,643 | $2,926 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $290,800 | $266,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,079 | $1,084 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $71,903 | $71,773 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 4.04× | 3.71× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 18.01% | 18.12% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 78.54% | 74.02% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 40,860.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waldo County | 1.08% | $2,593 | $239,100 |
| Sagadahoc County | 1.12% | $3,365 | $300,200 |
| Lincoln County | 0.93% | $2,850 | $306,200 |
| Washington County | 1.12% | $1,654 | $147,100 |
| Somerset County | 1.16% | $1,798 | $155,200 |
Knox County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Knox County, Maine?
The effective rate is 1.25% of home value, from a median tax bill of $3,643 against a median home value of $290,800. That is 0.27 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Knox County?
Roughly $5,000 a year at the county effective rate of 1.25%.
Is Knox County expensive compared with the rest of Maine?
It ranks #3 of 16 Maine counties by effective property tax rate, and #634 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.15 points above the Maine average of 1.10%.
What does housing cost in Knox County?
The median home is worth $290,800 and median gross rent is $1,079 a month. Median household income is $71,903, which puts the home at 4.04 times annual income and rent at 18.01% of it.