Property Tax in Effingham County, Georgia
The median real estate tax bill in Effingham County, Georgia is $2,344 per year, and the median home is worth $245,300. Both figures are the US Census Bureau's survey medians for owner-occupied households (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What the Effingham County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $2,344 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Effingham County, and $245,300 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 Effingham County is 0.96% (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.
Effingham County by the numbers
| Measure | Effingham County | Georgia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $2,344 | $2,214 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $245,300 | $272,900 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.96% | 0.81% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $195 | $184 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Effingham County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Georgia: #22 of 159 counties
- Median home value rank in Georgia: #38 of 159
- Population rank in Georgia: #38 of 159 (67,265 residents)
- Population density rank: #46 of 159 (140 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Georgia: #31 of 159 (478 sq mi, 0.8% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $195; per $1,000 of home value: $0.96
How Effingham County compares
The median tax bill in Effingham County is about 6% higher than the state median ($2,214 for Georgia) and about 21% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #22 out of 159 Georgia counties with published Census data — 21 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. Effingham County's derived rate of 0.96% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Effingham County: the median bill works out to about $195 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $956 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 67,265 people — the #38 most populous county in Georgia, spread over 478 square miles, a density of about 140 people per square mile. Its median home value, $245,300, ranks #38 among the state's 159 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 804 record a higher median tax bill than Effingham County — it sits in the top 26% nationally. The county holds roughly 0.6% of Georgia's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $245,300 versus $272,900), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.96% adds up to about 9.56% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Wheeler County, medians $562 — $1,782 less than Effingham County per year.
Counties nearest Effingham County in the Georgia ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, GA | $2,399 | $323,100 | 0.74% |
| Hall County, GA | $2,382 | $313,600 | 0.76% |
| Greene County, GA | $2,343 | $342,200 | 0.69% |
| Lee County, GA | $2,273 | $226,900 | 1.00% |
Effingham County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Effingham County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Effingham County ($2,344) ranks #4 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany County, MD | 67,762 | $1,609 | $149,200 | 1.08% |
| McCracken County, KY | 67,584 | $1,342 | $182,900 | 0.73% |
| Madison County, NY | 67,572 | $4,058 | $176,800 | 2.29% |
| Rice County, MN | 67,389 | $2,899 | $298,500 | 0.97% |
| Aroostook County, ME | 67,227 | $1,611 | $131,700 | 1.22% |
| Montcalm County, MI | 67,174 | $1,851 | $172,100 | 1.08% |
| Crow Wing County, MN | 67,113 | $2,161 | $274,400 | 0.79% |
| Mason County, WA | 66,968 | $2,833 | $377,400 | 0.75% |
The closest population match is Aroostook County, Maine (67,227 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,611 on a median home value of $131,700 — $733 more than Effingham County pays.
Staying within Georgia, the counties nearest Effingham County by population are Catoosa County (68,356 residents, median tax $1,475 on a median value of $214,200); Spalding County (68,215 residents, median tax $1,897 on a median value of $196,600); Liberty County (66,826 residents, median tax $1,897 on a median value of $180,200); Gordon County (58,336 residents, median tax $1,450 on a median value of $205,600). The spread in their median bills — all under the same state framework — shows how much of the property tax burden is decided county by county and district by district.
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 0.96%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $956 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $3,824. 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 Effingham County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.96% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Effingham County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.81% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,434 | $120 |
| $250,000 | $2,390 | $199 |
| $350,000 | $3,346 | $279 |
| $500,000 | $4,780 | $398 |
| $750,000 | $7,170 | $598 |
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 Effingham County
If your bill looks wrong, work through these steps:
1. Get your property record card from the assessor and check the basics — living area, lot size, bedrooms, condition, and any exemptions you should have.
2. Compare your assessed value with recent sale prices of similar homes in Effingham County.
3. Talk to the assessor's office informally first; clear errors are often fixed without a hearing.
4. If needed, file a formal appeal with the local review board before the deadline on your assessment notice, with your evidence attached.
5. Keep paying the bill as issued while the appeal runs, unless your notice says otherwise — unpaid taxes accrue penalties regardless of an appeal.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Effingham County, Georgia?
The median real estate tax paid in Effingham County, Georgia is $2,344 per year, on a median home value of $245,300 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Effingham County, Georgia?
Dividing Effingham County's median tax bill ($2,344) by its median home value ($245,300) gives a derived effective rate of 0.96%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Effingham County compare with the rest of Georgia?
Effingham County ranks #22 of 159 Georgia counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $2,344 is about 6% higher than the Georgia median of $2,214.
How are property taxes calculated in Effingham County, Georgia?
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 Effingham County is $2,344 of tax on a $245,300 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Effingham County, Georgia?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Effingham County assessor, verify its details, and compare the assessed value against similar homes that sold recently. If the value still seems too high, submit a formal appeal to the board named on your notice before the stated deadline — usually a 30-to-90-day window.