Property Tax in Wicomico County, Maryland
In Wicomico County, Maryland, the typical homeowner pays $2,120 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $238,900. 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 Wicomico County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Wicomico County homeowners pay more than $2,120 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 $238,900, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.89%. 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.
Wicomico County by the numbers
| Measure | Wicomico County | Maryland | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $2,120 | $3,989 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $238,900 | $397,700 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.89% | 1.00% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $177 | $332 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Wicomico County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Maryland: #21 of 24 counties
- Median home value rank in Maryland: #20 of 24
- Population rank in Maryland: #14 of 24 (104,117 residents)
- Population density rank: #15 of 24 (278 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Maryland: #14 of 24 (374 sq mi, 3.9% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $177; per $1,000 of home value: $0.89
How Wicomico County compares
The median tax bill in Wicomico County is about 47% lower than the state median ($3,989 for Maryland) and about 29% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #21 out of 24 Maryland counties with published Census data — 20 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. Wicomico County's derived rate of 0.89% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Wicomico County: the median bill works out to about $177 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $887 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 104,117 people — the #14 most populous county in Maryland, spread over 374 square miles, a density of about 278 people per square mile. Its median home value, $238,900, ranks #20 among the state's 24 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 963 record a higher median tax bill than Wicomico County — it sits in the top 31% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.7% of Maryland's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $238,900 versus $397,700), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.89% adds up to about 8.87% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Somerset County, medians $1,603 — $517 less than Wicomico County per year.
Counties nearest Wicomico County in the Maryland ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, MD | $2,444 | $275,900 | 0.89% |
| Dorchester County, MD | $2,399 | $252,300 | 0.95% |
| Garrett County, MD | $1,792 | $217,000 | 0.83% |
| Allegany County, MD | $1,609 | $149,200 | 1.08% |
Wicomico County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Wicomico County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 104,117 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Wicomico County's median bill of $2,120 is #5 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maury County, TN | 104,855 | $1,476 | $307,500 | 0.48% |
| Sumter County, SC | 104,853 | $860 | $159,500 | 0.54% |
| Cecil County, MD | 104,366 | $3,059 | $311,800 | 0.98% |
| Dallas County, IA | 104,136 | $4,849 | $333,400 | 1.45% |
| Fond du Lac County, WI | 104,053 | $3,311 | $209,800 | 1.58% |
| Highlands County, FL | 103,808 | $1,295 | $177,900 | 0.73% |
| Bay County, MI | 103,235 | $2,205 | $135,100 | 1.63% |
| Etowah County, AL | 103,208 | $585 | $160,600 | 0.36% |
The closest population match is Dallas County, Iowa (104,136 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $4,849 on a median home value of $333,400 — $2,729 less than Wicomico County pays.
Staying within Maryland, the counties nearest Wicomico County by population are St. Mary's County (114,372 residents, median tax $3,392 on a median value of $390,900); Cecil County (104,366 residents, median tax $3,059 on a median value of $311,800); Calvert County (93,791 residents, median tax $3,858 on a median value of $440,200); Allegany County (67,762 residents, median tax $1,609 on a median value of $149,200). 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
Think of the final bill as three ingredients: the assessed value of the property, the exemptions subtracted from it, and the combined rate of every district the property sits in. Wicomico County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.89%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $3,548 a year, or around $296 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Wicomico County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.89% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Wicomico County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.00% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,330 | $111 |
| $250,000 | $2,218 | $185 |
| $350,000 | $3,104 | $259 |
| $500,000 | $4,435 | $370 |
| $750,000 | $6,652 | $554 |
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 Wicomico County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Wicomico County 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 Wicomico County, Maryland?
The median real estate tax paid in Wicomico County, Maryland is $2,120 per year, on a median home value of $238,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Wicomico County, Maryland?
Dividing Wicomico County's median tax bill ($2,120) by its median home value ($238,900) gives a derived effective rate of 0.89%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Wicomico County compare with the rest of Maryland?
By median taxes paid, Wicomico County stands at #21 among the 24 Maryland counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $2,120 median bill is about 47% lower than the state median ($3,989), and 20 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Wicomico County, Maryland?
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 Wicomico County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $2,120 on a median home value of $238,900.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Wicomico County, Maryland?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Wicomico 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.