Property Tax in Kent County, Delaware
Homeowners in Kent County, Delaware pay a median of $1,331 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $290,600. Those are the Census Bureau's published medians for the county (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023) — the typical bill and the typical home value for owner-occupied households.
What the Kent County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $1,331 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Kent County, and $290,600 is the middle home value. Neither figure describes a specific property — together they describe the typical homeowner's situation in the county.
The derived effective rate for Kent County is 0.46% (median tax ÷ median value). Treat it as an estimate for comparison only: it comes from survey medians of different households, not from the county's rate schedule.
The key figures for Kent County
| Measure | Kent County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $1,331 |
| Median home value | $290,600 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.46% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $111 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $458 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $1,832 |
For context, the Delaware medians are $1,731 of tax on $326,800 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Kent County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Delaware: #2 of 3 counties
- Median home value rank in Delaware: #3 of 3
- Population rank in Delaware: #3 of 3 (185,043 residents)
- Population density rank: #2 of 3 (316 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Delaware: #2 of 3 (586 sq mi, 30.1% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $111; per $1,000 of home value: $0.46
How Kent County compares
The median tax bill in Kent County is about 23% lower than the state median ($1,731 for Delaware) and about 55% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #2 out of 3 Delaware counties with published Census data — 1 counties in the state have a higher median bill.
Comparisons cut both ways: a county can have a modest rate but high bills because homes are expensive, or a high rate but modest bills because homes are cheaper. Kent County's derived rate of 0.46% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Kent County: the median bill works out to about $111 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $458 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 185,043 people — the #3 most populous county in Delaware, spread over 586 square miles, a density of about 316 people per square mile. Its median home value, $290,600, ranks #3 among the state's 3 counties with data.
Nationally, Kent County's median bill of $1,331 ranks #1906 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 61% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 18.4% of Delaware's population, its median home value is about 11% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 4.58% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Kent County to the most expensive county, New Castle County ($2,444), is $1,113 a year.
Counties nearest Kent County in the Delaware ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County, DE | $2,444 | $329,800 | 0.74% |
| Sussex County, DE | $1,171 | $353,300 | 0.33% |
Kent County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Kent County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Kent County ($1,331) ranks the lowest by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, TX | 188,820 | $3,259 | $254,600 | 1.28% |
| DeSoto County, MS | 188,598 | $1,595 | $248,700 | 0.64% |
| Tippecanoe County, IN | 187,399 | $1,355 | $217,600 | 0.62% |
| Boone County, MO | 185,874 | $2,232 | $254,100 | 0.88% |
| Newport News city, VA | 184,774 | $2,507 | $243,300 | 1.03% |
| Medina County, OH | 183,049 | $3,448 | $268,000 | 1.29% |
| Ulster County, NY | 182,109 | $6,124 | $315,100 | 1.94% |
| Shasta County, CA | 181,554 | $2,442 | $347,200 | 0.70% |
The closest population match is Newport News city, Virginia (184,774 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $2,507 on a median home value of $243,300 — $1,176 less than Kent County pays.
Inside Delaware itself, the counties closest to Kent County in population are New Castle County (573,030 residents, median tax $2,444 on a median value of $329,800); Sussex County (247,799 residents, median tax $1,171 on a median value of $353,300). Same state, same broad tax framework — yet the median bills still differ, because assessed values and the mix of county, municipal and school-district rates are set locally.
How the tax is worked out
The bill is built in stages. First the assessor puts a market value on the property. Exemptions — a homestead exemption above all — then reduce the taxable amount. Finally the combined local rate is applied. To see the scale: at the county's derived rate of 0.46%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $458 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $1,832. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Illustrative bills in Kent County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.46% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Kent County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.53% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $687 | $57 |
| $250,000 | $1,145 | $95 |
| $350,000 | $1,603 | $134 |
| $500,000 | $2,290 | $191 |
| $750,000 | $3,435 | $286 |
Illustration only: real bills are computed from the assessed value, exemptions, and the combined rates of the property's actual taxing districts.
Checking your assessment in Kent County
Believe your assessment is too high? The practical order of attack is: obtain your record card and audit it line by line; collect comparable recent sales in Kent County; ask the assessor's office to correct anything plainly wrong; and, if the value still seems off, lodge a formal appeal ahead of the deadline printed on your assessment notice. Windows are short — often 30 to 90 days — and late appeals are usually rejected outright, however strong the case.
Similar-sized counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Kent County, Delaware?
The median real estate tax paid in Kent County, Delaware is $1,331 per year, on a median home value of $290,600 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Kent County, Delaware?
The derived effective rate is 0.46% — the median bill ($1,331) expressed as a share of the median home value ($290,600). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Kent County compare with the rest of Delaware?
Kent County ranks #2 of 3 Delaware counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $1,331 is about 23% lower than the Delaware median of $1,731.
How are property taxes calculated in Kent County, Delaware?
Three steps produce the bill: an assessment of market value by the local assessor, a reduction for exemptions you qualify for (a homestead exemption is the common one), and multiplication by the combined rates of the county, municipality, school district and any special districts covering the property. The median result in Kent County is $1,331 of tax on a $290,600 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Kent County, Delaware?
Yes — appeals are handled locally. Start with the Kent County assessor's property record card for your home, correct any factual errors, and back your case with comparable recent sales. Formal appeals go to the review board named on your assessment notice and must be filed by its deadline, typically within 30 to 90 days.