Watauga County, North Carolina property tax
The median homeowner in Watauga County, North Carolina pays $1,334 a year in property tax on a home worth $321,500, an effective rate of 0.41%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 0.41%, Watauga County taxes property more lightly than the national 0.98%. With a median home at $321,500, that produces a bill of $1,334. Somebody still funds the schools, so it is worth knowing what a low-tax county collects instead.
It ranks #95 of 98 North Carolina counties by effective rate, against a statewide 0.70%, and #2,640 nationally. The state runs from 1.21% in Northampton County down to 0.37% in Jackson County.
The median home costs 6.26 times the median household income of $51,367, against 3.86 nationally, so housing absorbs an unusually large share of what people here earn. Renters pay 24.9% of median income in gross rent. With 54,607 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
| Watauga County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.41% | 0.70% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $1,334 | $1,815 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $321,500 | $259,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,066 | $1,162 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $51,367 | $69,904 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 6.26× | 3.71× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 24.9% | 19.95% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 61.18% | 66.37% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 54,607.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenoir County | 0.88% | $985 | $111,400 |
| Hoke County | 0.69% | $1,357 | $196,000 |
| Columbus County | 0.87% | $1,120 | $128,300 |
| Sampson County | 0.82% | $1,051 | $128,400 |
| Duplin County | 0.74% | $912 | $123,200 |
Watauga County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Watauga County, North Carolina?
The effective rate is 0.41% of home value, from a median tax bill of $1,334 against a median home value of $321,500. That is 0.57 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Watauga County?
Roughly $1,640 a year at the county effective rate of 0.41%.
Is Watauga County expensive compared with the rest of North Carolina?
It ranks #95 of 98 North Carolina counties by effective property tax rate, and #2640 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.29 points below the North Carolina average of 0.70%.
What does housing cost in Watauga County?
The median home is worth $321,500 and median gross rent is $1,066 a month. Median household income is $51,367, which puts the home at 6.26 times annual income and rent at 24.9% of it.