Amherst County, Virginia property tax
The median homeowner in Amherst County, Virginia pays $997 a year in property tax on a home worth $197,200, an effective rate of 0.51%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 0.51%, Amherst County taxes property more lightly than the national 0.98%. The bill works out at $997 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 #109 of 129 Virginia counties by effective rate, against a statewide 0.74%, and #2,402 nationally. The state runs from 1.14% in Manassas Park city down to 0.40% in Prince Edward County.
The median home costs 2.93 times the median household income of $67,298, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 78.4% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. With 31,385 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
| Amherst County | Virginia | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.51% | 0.74% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $997 | $2,686 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $197,200 | $360,700 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $842 | $1,514 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $67,298 | $90,974 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.93× | 3.96× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 15.01% | 19.97% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 78.4% | 67.18% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 31,385.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline County | 0.56% | $1,585 | $283,100 |
| Powhatan County | 0.63% | $2,418 | $381,300 |
| Mecklenburg County | 0.49% | $826 | $169,400 |
| Smyth County | 0.61% | $766 | $125,800 |
| Accomack County | 0.50% | $962 | $193,100 |
Amherst County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Amherst County, Virginia?
The effective rate is 0.51% of home value, from a median tax bill of $997 against a median home value of $197,200. That is 0.47 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Amherst County?
Roughly $2,040 a year at the county effective rate of 0.51%.
Is Amherst County expensive compared with the rest of Virginia?
It ranks #109 of 129 Virginia counties by effective property tax rate, and #2402 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.23 points below the Virginia average of 0.74%.
What does housing cost in Amherst County?
The median home is worth $197,200 and median gross rent is $842 a month. Median household income is $67,298, which puts the home at 2.93 times annual income and rent at 15.01% of it.