Property Tax in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Homeowners in Barnstable County, Massachusetts pay a median of $4,090 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $575,900. 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 Barnstable County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $4,090 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Barnstable County, and $575,900 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 Barnstable County is 0.71% (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.
Barnstable County by the numbers
| Measure | Barnstable County | Massachusetts | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $4,090 | $5,813 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $575,900 | $525,800 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.71% | 1.11% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $341 | $484 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Barnstable County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Massachusetts: #12 of 14 counties
- Median home value rank in Massachusetts: #7 of 14
- Population rank in Massachusetts: #9 of 14 (230,073 residents)
- Population density rank: #8 of 14 (584 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Massachusetts: #11 of 14 (394 sq mi, 5.1% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $341; per $1,000 of home value: $0.71
How Barnstable County compares
The median tax bill in Barnstable County is about 30% lower than the state median ($5,813 for Massachusetts) and about 38% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #12 out of 14 Massachusetts counties with published Census data — 11 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. Barnstable County's derived rate of 0.71% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Barnstable County: the median bill works out to about $341 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $710 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 230,073 people — the #9 most populous county in Massachusetts, spread over 394 square miles, a density of about 584 people per square mile. Its median home value, $575,900, ranks #7 among the state's 14 counties with data.
Nationally, Barnstable County's median bill of $4,090 ranks #213 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 7% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 3.3% of Massachusetts's population, its median home value is about 10% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 7.10% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Barnstable County to the most expensive county, Middlesex County ($7,240), is $3,150 a year.
Counties nearest Barnstable County in the Massachusetts ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County, MA | $4,533 | $680,700 | 0.67% |
| Hampden County, MA | $4,332 | $276,300 | 1.57% |
| Berkshire County, MA | $3,891 | $283,800 | 1.37% |
| Nantucket County, MA | $2,985 | $1,387,000 | 0.21% |
Barnstable County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Barnstable County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Barnstable County ($4,090) ranks the highest by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, OH | 232,101 | $3,405 | $199,900 | 1.70% |
| Gaston County, NC | 231,485 | $1,872 | $235,000 | 0.80% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 231,262 | $2,429 | $318,600 | 0.76% |
| New Hanover County, NC | 231,214 | $2,075 | $353,700 | 0.59% |
| Oneida County, NY | 229,645 | $3,646 | $171,100 | 2.13% |
| Linn County, IA | 229,463 | $3,396 | $204,400 | 1.66% |
| Whatcom County, WA | 228,432 | $3,819 | $536,100 | 0.71% |
| Jefferson County, MO | 228,227 | $1,835 | $218,800 | 0.84% |
The closest population match is Oneida County, New York (229,645 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $3,646 on a median home value of $171,100 — $444 more than Barnstable County pays.
Inside Massachusetts itself, the counties closest to Barnstable County in population are Plymouth County (531,889 residents, median tax $6,345 on a median value of $513,000); Hampden County (462,853 residents, median tax $4,332 on a median value of $276,300); Hampshire County (156,595 residents, median tax $5,326 on a median value of $363,400); Berkshire County (128,047 residents, median tax $3,891 on a median value of $283,800). 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
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. Barnstable County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.71%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $2,840 a year, or around $237 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Barnstable County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.71% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Barnstable County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.11% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,065 | $89 |
| $250,000 | $1,775 | $148 |
| $350,000 | $2,485 | $207 |
| $500,000 | $3,550 | $296 |
| $750,000 | $5,325 | $444 |
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 Barnstable County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Barnstable 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 Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
The median real estate tax paid in Barnstable County, Massachusetts is $4,090 per year, on a median home value of $575,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
On a derived basis, 0.71%: the county's median tax bill of $4,090 divided by its median home value of $575,900. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Barnstable County compare with the rest of Massachusetts?
Barnstable County ranks #12 of 14 Massachusetts counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $4,090 is about 30% lower than the Massachusetts median of $5,813.
How are property taxes calculated in Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
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 Barnstable County is $4,090 of tax on a $575,900 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Barnstable County 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.