Wharton County, Texas property tax
The median homeowner in Wharton County, Texas pays $2,749 a year in property tax on a home worth $182,700, an effective rate of 1.50%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 1.50%, Wharton County taxes property more heavily than the country as a whole, which sits at 0.98%. Houses here are worth $182,700, below the national $303,400. Part of any high rate is arithmetic rather than policy: a smaller tax base has to be taxed harder to raise the same money.
It ranks #51 of 202 Texas counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.58%, and #358 nationally. The state runs from 2.09% in El Paso County down to 0.60% in Ward County.
The median home costs 2.76 times the median household income of $66,100, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 70.58% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. With 41,651 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
| Wharton County | Texas | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.50% | 1.58% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $2,749 | $4,111 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $182,700 | $260,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $986 | $1,339 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $66,100 | $76,292 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.76× | 3.41× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 17.9% | 21.06% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 70.58% | 62.56% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 41,651.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upshur County | 1.23% | $2,099 | $171,200 |
| Cooke County | 1.24% | $2,794 | $224,600 |
| Erath County | 1.13% | $2,836 | $251,900 |
| Jim Wells County | 1.25% | $1,311 | $104,800 |
| Brown County | 1.15% | $1,727 | $149,900 |
Wharton County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Wharton County, Texas?
The effective rate is 1.50% of home value, from a median tax bill of $2,749 against a median home value of $182,700. That is 0.52 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Wharton County?
Roughly $6,000 a year at the county effective rate of 1.50%.
Is Wharton County expensive compared with the rest of Texas?
It ranks #51 of 202 Texas counties by effective property tax rate, and #358 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.08 points below the Texas average of 1.58%.
What does housing cost in Wharton County?
The median home is worth $182,700 and median gross rent is $986 a month. Median household income is $66,100, which puts the home at 2.76 times annual income and rent at 17.9% of it.