Seneca County, New York property tax
The median homeowner in Seneca County, New York pays $3,267 a year in property tax on a home worth $142,700, an effective rate of 2.29%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 2.29%, Seneca 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 $142,700 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.
It ranks #23 of 62 New York counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.60%, and #43 nationally. The state runs from 3.00% in Orleans County down to 0.69% in Kings County.
The median home costs 2.16 times the median household income of $66,007, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 71.99% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. With 33,125 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
| Seneca County | New York | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 2.29% | 1.60% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $3,267 | $6,450 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $142,700 | $403,000 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $925 | $1,576 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $66,007 | $84,578 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.16× | 4.76× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 16.82% | 22.36% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 71.99% | 54.31% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 33,125.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schoharie County | 2.19% | $3,977 | $182,000 |
| Essex County | 1.56% | $3,111 | $200,000 |
| Lewis County | 1.70% | $2,682 | $158,000 |
| Orleans County | 3.00% | $3,781 | $126,200 |
| Wyoming County | 2.30% | $3,557 | $154,700 |
Seneca County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Seneca County, New York?
The effective rate is 2.29% of home value, from a median tax bill of $3,267 against a median home value of $142,700. That is 1.31 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Seneca County?
Roughly $9,160 a year at the county effective rate of 2.29%.
Is Seneca County expensive compared with the rest of New York?
It ranks #23 of 62 New York counties by effective property tax rate, and #43 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.69 points above the New York average of 1.60%.
What does housing cost in Seneca County?
The median home is worth $142,700 and median gross rent is $925 a month. Median household income is $66,007, which puts the home at 2.16 times annual income and rent at 16.82% of it.