Polk County, North Carolina property tax
The median homeowner in Polk County, North Carolina pays $1,627 a year in property tax on a home worth $281,100, an effective rate of 0.58%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 0.58%, Polk County taxes property more lightly than the national 0.98%. The bill works out at $1,627 a year. Low-rate counties usually have another revenue source doing the work, whether that is a state funding formula, sales tax or severance revenue from extraction.
It ranks #78 of 98 North Carolina counties by effective rate, against a statewide 0.70%, and #2,152 nationally. The state runs from 1.21% in Northampton County down to 0.37% in Jackson County.
The median home costs 4.61 times the median household income of $61,005, 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. This is a small rural county of 19,689 people. Five-year survey estimates for places this size carry wide margins of error, so treat the figures as approximate.
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
| Polk County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.58% | 0.70% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $1,627 | $1,815 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $281,100 | $259,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,089 | $1,162 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $61,005 | $69,904 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 4.61× | 3.71× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 21.42% | 19.95% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 76.65% | 66.37% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 19,689.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County | 0.87% | $990 | $114,000 |
| Hertford County | 0.97% | $1,083 | $111,100 |
| Warren County | 0.85% | $1,059 | $124,700 |
| Yancey County | 0.48% | $1,058 | $222,300 |
| Madison County | 0.50% | $1,307 | $263,500 |
Polk County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Polk County, North Carolina?
The effective rate is 0.58% of home value, from a median tax bill of $1,627 against a median home value of $281,100. That is 0.4 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Polk County?
Roughly $2,320 a year at the county effective rate of 0.58%.
Is Polk County expensive compared with the rest of North Carolina?
It ranks #78 of 98 North Carolina counties by effective property tax rate, and #2152 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.12 points below the North Carolina average of 0.70%.
What does housing cost in Polk County?
The median home is worth $281,100 and median gross rent is $1,089 a month. Median household income is $61,005, which puts the home at 4.61 times annual income and rent at 21.42% of it.