Penobscot County, Maine property tax
The median homeowner in Penobscot County, Maine pays $2,435 a year in property tax on a home worth $193,800, an effective rate of 1.26%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 1.26%, Penobscot County taxes property more heavily than the country as a whole, which sits at 0.98%. That combination is the usual one. Houses here are worth $193,800 against a national $303,400, and a smaller tax base has to be taxed at a higher percentage to fund the same schools and roads. Whether the state also leans on property tax by choice, as several do in place of an income tax, is a separate question the rate alone cannot answer.
Inside Maine it is one of the most heavily taxed counties there is, ranking #1 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 3.06 times the median household income of $63,248, close to the national 3.86. Incomes run below the national median, and house prices run below it too, which is what keeps the ratio ordinary. The county has 153,571 residents, which is small enough that the medians describe a reasonably coherent market.
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
| Penobscot County | Maine | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.26% | 1.10% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $2,435 | $2,926 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $193,800 | $266,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $997 | $1,084 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $63,248 | $71,773 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 3.06× | 3.71× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 18.92% | 18.12% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 70.28% | 74.02% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 153,571.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennebec County | 1.14% | $2,510 | $219,900 |
| Androscoggin County | 1.26% | $2,913 | $232,000 |
| York County | 1.03% | $3,691 | $357,200 |
| Aroostook County | 1.22% | $1,611 | $131,700 |
| Oxford County | 1.09% | $2,103 | $192,300 |
Penobscot County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Penobscot County, Maine?
The effective rate is 1.26% of home value, from a median tax bill of $2,435 against a median home value of $193,800. That is 0.28 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Penobscot County?
Roughly $5,040 a year at the county effective rate of 1.26%.
Is Penobscot County expensive compared with the rest of Maine?
It ranks #1 of 16 Maine counties by effective property tax rate, and #618 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.16 points above the Maine average of 1.10%.
What does housing cost in Penobscot County?
The median home is worth $193,800 and median gross rent is $997 a month. Median household income is $63,248, which puts the home at 3.06 times annual income and rent at 18.92% of it.