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County tax profile · 2026 · Census ACS + IRS data

Property Tax & Income in St. Mary's County, Maryland

St. Mary's County has an effective property tax rate of 0.84%. On the median home value of $407,600, that's roughly $3,424 per year. Median household income is $119,446.

Effective Property Tax Rate1
0.84%
median tax $3,424 ÷ median home $407,600
Median Home Value1
$407,600
owner-occupied
Median Household Income1
$119,446
per-capita $53,417
Est. Annual Tax on Median Home1
$3,424
at 0.84% effective rate

What you'll pay, at a glance

Property taxes are the largest local tax most homeowners pay. The effective rate measures the real tax bill as a share of home value — a more useful number than the nominal “mill rate,” because assessment practices vary county to county.

MetricSt. Mary's CountyMaryland (state context)
Effective property tax rate10.84%0.90%
Median home value1$407,600—
State income tax3top rate 6.50%top rate 6.50%
State sales tax36.00% combined6.00% combined

How this is calculated

The effective property tax rate is the median real-estate tax bill divided by the median home value — both for owner-occupied homes, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-year estimates)1. Median income is also from the ACS1. Federal and state income-tax figures use IRS2 and Tax Foundation3 data.

About St. Mary's County, MD

In St. Mary's County, Maryland, the effective property tax rate sits at 0.840%, which falls below the statewide median of 0.898% and ranks 19th among the state's 24 counties. A median home value of $407,600 translates into an annual real-estate tax bill of about $3,424. With median household income at $119,446 and per-capita income of $53,417, buyers in places like Abell, Avenue, and Bushwood can weigh those tax costs against earnings that run well above what the tax bill alone might imply. Compared with the national median effective rate of 0.794%, this county's rate is slightly higher, so buyers should expect property taxes to take a somewhat larger share of home value than the countrywide average, even as the state comparison favors St. Mary's County.

Frequently asked questions

What is the property tax rate in St. Mary's County, MD?
The effective rate is 0.84% — meaning the median tax bill equals about 0.84% of the median home value.
How much are property taxes on a median home?
On the median home ($407,600), the estimated annual bill is about $3,424.
Is St. Mary's County's rate high or low?
Compare it to the state median of 0.90% and the national average near 1.1%.
How does the effective rate differ from my mill rate?
A mill rate is the nominal levy per $1,000 of assessed value. The effective rate reflects what you actually pay after exemptions and assessments — it's the median tax bill as a share of median home value, so it better predicts your real cost.
Will a reassessment raise my tax bill?
Not necessarily. If your home's assessed value rises, your bill can go up, but only if the mill rate and exemptions stay flat. Contact the St. Mary's County assessor's office to review your current assessment.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment?
Yes. Most counties allow an appeal when you believe the assessed value exceeds the market value. File with the St. Mary's County assessor within the local deadline, typically with comparable sales as evidence.
Sources
[1] U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2023) — Median home value (B25077), median real-estate taxes (B25103), median household income (B19013), per-capita income (B19301).
[2] IRS — Statistics of Income — County income, AGI, and real-estate taxes paid.
[3] Tax Foundation — State income, sales, corporate, and estate/inheritance tax rates.