St. Mary's County, Maryland property tax
The median homeowner in St. Mary's County, Maryland pays $3,392 a year in property tax on a home worth $390,900, an effective rate of 0.87%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
St. Mary's County taxes property at 0.87%, within a rounding error of the national 0.98%. That makes the $3,392 median bill mostly a statement about local house prices rather than about local tax policy.
It ranks #19 of 24 Maryland counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.00%, and #1,305 nationally. The state runs from 1.48% in Baltimore city down to 0.66% in Talbot County.
The median home costs 3.41 times the median household income of $114,580, close to the national 3.86. Incomes here run above the national median, which is what keeps that ratio ordinary despite the house prices. The county has 114,372 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
| St. Mary's County | Maryland | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.87% | 1.00% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $3,392 | $3,989 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $390,900 | $397,700 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,692 | $1,662 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $114,580 | $101,652 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 3.41× | 3.91× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 17.72% | 19.62% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 72.65% | 67.48% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 114,372.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cecil County | 0.98% | $3,059 | $311,800 |
| Wicomico County | 0.89% | $2,120 | $238,900 |
| Calvert County | 0.88% | $3,858 | $440,200 |
| Washington County | 0.89% | $2,444 | $275,900 |
| Allegany County | 1.08% | $1,609 | $149,200 |
St. Mary's County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in St. Mary's County, Maryland?
The effective rate is 0.87% of home value, from a median tax bill of $3,392 against a median home value of $390,900. That is 0.11 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in St. Mary's County?
Roughly $3,480 a year at the county effective rate of 0.87%.
Is St. Mary's County expensive compared with the rest of Maryland?
It ranks #19 of 24 Maryland counties by effective property tax rate, and #1305 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.13 points below the Maryland average of 1.00%.
What does housing cost in St. Mary's County?
The median home is worth $390,900 and median gross rent is $1,692 a month. Median household income is $114,580, which puts the home at 3.41 times annual income and rent at 17.72% of it.