Home›Property Tax›North Carolina›Orange County
County tax profile · 2026 · Census ACS + IRS data

Property Tax & Income in Orange County, North Carolina

Orange County has an effective property tax rate of 0.91%. On the median home value of $459,500, that's roughly $4,162 per year. Median household income is $90,089.

Effective Property Tax Rate1
0.91%
median tax $4,162 ÷ median home $459,500
Median Home Value1
$459,500
owner-occupied
Median Household Income1
$90,089
per-capita $52,900
Est. Annual Tax on Median Home1
$4,162
at 0.91% 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.

MetricOrange CountyNorth Carolina (state context)
Effective property tax rate10.91%0.64%
Median home value1$459,500—
State income tax3top rate 3.99%top rate 3.99%
State sales tax37.10% combined7.10% 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 Orange County, NC

Orange County's effective property tax rate of 0.906% sits above both the North Carolina median of 0.644% and the national figure of 0.794%. That gap places the county 10th among the state's 100 counties for property tax rate, a ranking that signals a comparatively heavy reliance on real-estate levies. A median home value of $459,500 generates a median annual tax bill of $4,162, a meaningful sum against a median household income of $90,089. Per-capita income reaches $52,900. Communities like Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Efland fall within these boundaries, and homeowners there should expect assessments that run higher than what many other North Carolinians pay. The county's position above state and national norms reflects a tax structure that leans more heavily on property owners than most of its peers.

Frequently asked questions

What is the property tax rate in Orange County, NC?
The effective rate is 0.91% — meaning the median tax bill equals about 0.91% of the median home value.
How much are property taxes on a median home?
On the median home ($459,500), the estimated annual bill is about $4,162.
Is Orange County's rate high or low?
Compare it to the state median of 0.64% 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 Orange 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 Orange 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.