Swain County, North Carolina property tax
The median homeowner in Swain County, North Carolina pays $844 a year in property tax on a home worth $209,800, an effective rate of 0.40%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 0.40%, Swain County taxes property more lightly than the national 0.98%. The bill works out at $844 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.
Inside North Carolina it is among the lightest, ranking #97 of 98, against a statewide 0.70%. Northampton County, in the same state, charges 1.21%. Comparing states on property tax hides differences like that, which is why this site publishes counties.
The median home costs 3.79 times the median household income of $55,429, 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 14,065 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
| Swain County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.40% | 0.70% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $844 | $1,815 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $209,800 | $259,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $715 | $1,162 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $55,429 | $69,904 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 3.79× | 3.71× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 15.48% | 19.95% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 73.26% | 66.37% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 14,065.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chowan County | 0.69% | $1,403 | $204,400 |
| Mitchell County | 0.50% | $1,014 | $202,100 |
| Perquimans County | 0.62% | $1,316 | $211,600 |
| Pamlico County | 0.60% | $1,257 | $209,800 |
| Clay County | 0.45% | $1,188 | $263,300 |
Swain County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Swain County, North Carolina?
The effective rate is 0.40% of home value, from a median tax bill of $844 against a median home value of $209,800. That is 0.58 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Swain County?
Roughly $1,600 a year at the county effective rate of 0.40%.
Is Swain County expensive compared with the rest of North Carolina?
It ranks #97 of 98 North Carolina counties by effective property tax rate, and #2654 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.3 points below the North Carolina average of 0.70%.
What does housing cost in Swain County?
The median home is worth $209,800 and median gross rent is $715 a month. Median household income is $55,429, which puts the home at 3.79 times annual income and rent at 15.48% of it.