Property Tax in Orleans Parish, Louisiana
In Orleans Parish, Louisiana, the typical homeowner pays $2,428 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $296,400. The figures on this page are the Census Bureau's published medians (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023), shown exactly as released.
What the Orleans Parish numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Orleans Parish homeowners pay more than $2,428 a year and half pay less. The exact bill for any one home depends on its assessed value, exemptions, and which school, municipal and special districts cover it.
Set against the median home value of $296,400, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.82%. That rate is an estimate computed from the two medians — no county publishes a rate calculated this way — but it adjusts for home prices, which makes comparisons between counties more meaningful.
The key figures for Orleans Parish
| Measure | Orleans Parish |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $2,428 |
| Median home value | $296,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.82% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $202 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $819 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $3,276 |
For context, the Louisiana medians are $1,146 of tax on $208,700 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Orleans Parish at a glance
- Median tax rank in Louisiana: #1 of 64 counties
- Median home value rank in Louisiana: #1 of 64
- Population rank in Louisiana: #3 of 64 (376,035 residents)
- Population density rank: #1 of 64 (2,218 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Louisiana: #64 of 64 (169 sq mi, 0.4% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $202; per $1,000 of home value: $0.82
How Orleans Parish compares
Of the 64 Louisiana counties with published data, 0 have a higher median property tax bill than Orleans Parish's $2,428, putting the county at #1 in the state. Its bill is about 112% higher than the state median of $1,146 and about 18% lower than the national median of $2,969.
Rates and values pull in opposite directions: an expensive housing market can produce big bills at ordinary rates. Here the derived rate is 0.82%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #1 within Louisiana.
Some extra context for Orleans Parish: the median bill works out to about $202 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $819 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 376,035 people — the #3 most populous county in Louisiana, spread over 169 square miles, a density of about 2,218 people per square mile. Its median home value, $296,400, ranks #1 among the state's 64 counties with data.
Nationally, Orleans Parish's median bill of $2,428 ranks #748 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 24% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 8.1% of Louisiana's population, its median home value is about 42% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 8.19% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Orleans Parish to the most expensive county, Orleans Parish ($2,428), is $0 a year.
Counties nearest Orleans Parish in the Louisiana ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Tammany Parish, LA | $2,005 | $272,200 | 0.74% |
| East Baton Rouge Parish, LA | $1,547 | $241,800 | 0.64% |
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 0.82%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $819 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $3,276. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Checking your assessment in Orleans Parish
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Orleans Parish assessor: wrong square footage, an extra room, or a missing homestead exemption are common and fixable. Next, line your assessed value up against recent sales of genuinely similar homes nearby. Many disputes end at an informal conversation with the assessor's office; if yours does not, file the formal appeal with the review board named on your notice before its deadline, evidence attached, and keep paying the bill in the meantime so penalties do not build up.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
The median real estate tax paid in Orleans Parish, Louisiana is $2,428 per year, on a median home value of $296,400 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
On a derived basis, 0.82%: the county's median tax bill of $2,428 divided by its median home value of $296,400. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Orleans Parish compare with the rest of Louisiana?
Orleans Parish ranks #1 of 64 Louisiana counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $2,428 is about 112% higher than the Louisiana median of $1,146.
How are property taxes calculated in Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
The assessor estimates your property's market value; exemptions (such as a homestead exemption) reduce the taxable amount; and the result is multiplied by the combined rates of the local taxing districts — county, municipality, school district and any special districts. In Orleans Parish, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $2,428 on a median home value of $296,400.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Orleans Parish assessor's office and check it for errors, then compare your assessed value with recent sales of similar homes. If it still looks too high, file a formal appeal with the local review board named on your assessment notice before the deadline printed on the notice — windows are short, often 30 to 90 days.