Dorchester County, Maryland property tax
The median homeowner in Dorchester County, Maryland pays $2,399 a year in property tax on a home worth $252,300, an effective rate of 0.95%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
Dorchester County taxes property at 0.95%, within a rounding error of the national 0.98%. That makes the $2,399 median bill mostly a statement about local house prices rather than about local tax policy.
It ranks #10 of 24 Maryland counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.00%, and #1,142 nationally. The state runs from 1.48% in Baltimore city down to 0.66% in Talbot County.
The median home costs 4.17 times the median household income of $60,495, 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. With 32,612 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
| Dorchester County | Maryland | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.95% | 1.00% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $2,399 | $3,989 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $252,300 | $397,700 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $959 | $1,662 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $60,495 | $101,652 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 4.17× | 3.91× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 19.02% | 19.62% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 66.32% | 67.48% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 32,612.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline County | 0.92% | $2,513 | $272,400 |
| Garrett County | 0.83% | $1,792 | $217,000 |
| Talbot County | 0.66% | $2,623 | $398,300 |
| Somerset County | 0.98% | $1,603 | $164,300 |
| Kent County | 0.94% | $2,896 | $307,100 |
Dorchester County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Dorchester County, Maryland?
The effective rate is 0.95% of home value, from a median tax bill of $2,399 against a median home value of $252,300. That is 0.03 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Dorchester County?
Roughly $3,800 a year at the county effective rate of 0.95%.
Is Dorchester County expensive compared with the rest of Maryland?
It ranks #10 of 24 Maryland counties by effective property tax rate, and #1142 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.05 points below the Maryland average of 1.00%.
What does housing cost in Dorchester County?
The median home is worth $252,300 and median gross rent is $959 a month. Median household income is $60,495, which puts the home at 4.17 times annual income and rent at 19.02% of it.