Property Tax in Cumberland County, New Jersey
In Cumberland County, New Jersey, the typical homeowner pays $5,048 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $205,600. 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 Cumberland County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Cumberland County homeowners pay more than $5,048 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 $205,600, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 2.46%. 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.
Cumberland County by the numbers
| Measure | Cumberland County | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $5,048 | $9,541 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $205,600 | $427,600 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 2.46% | 2.23% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $421 | $795 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Cumberland County at a glance
- Median tax rank in New Jersey: #21 of 21 counties
- Median home value rank in New Jersey: #21 of 21
- Population rank in New Jersey: #16 of 21 (152,915 residents)
- Population density rank: #17 of 21 (316 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in New Jersey: #5 of 21 (483 sq mi, 6.6% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $421; per $1,000 of home value: $2.46
How Cumberland County compares
The median tax bill in Cumberland County is about 47% lower than the state median ($9,541 for New Jersey) and about 70% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #21 out of 21 New Jersey 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. Cumberland County's derived rate of 2.46% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Cumberland County: the median bill works out to about $421 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $2,455 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 152,915 people — the #16 most populous county in New Jersey, spread over 483 square miles, a density of about 316 people per square mile. Its median home value, $205,600, ranks #21 among the state's 21 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 123 record a higher median tax bill than Cumberland County — it sits in the top 4% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.7% of New Jersey's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $205,600 versus $427,600), and a decade at the derived rate of 2.46% adds up to about 24.55% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Cumberland County, medians $5,048 — $0 less than Cumberland County per year.
Counties nearest Cumberland County in the New Jersey ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean County, NJ | $6,499 | $366,600 | 1.77% |
| Cape May County, NJ | $5,233 | $395,000 | 1.32% |
Cumberland County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Cumberland County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Cumberland County ($5,048) ranks the highest by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson County, TN | 153,587 | $1,743 | $397,000 | 0.44% |
| Penobscot County, ME | 153,571 | $2,435 | $193,800 | 1.26% |
| Berrien County, MI | 153,411 | $2,357 | $211,400 | 1.11% |
| Scott County, MN | 152,957 | $4,195 | $393,500 | 1.07% |
| Kings County, CA | 152,830 | $2,295 | $305,700 | 0.75% |
| Sandoval County, NM | 151,538 | $2,147 | $282,300 | 0.76% |
| Coweta County, GA | 150,071 | $2,482 | $321,900 | 0.77% |
| Rowan County, NC | 148,487 | $1,411 | $216,100 | 0.65% |
The closest population match is Scott County, Minnesota (152,957 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $4,195 on a median home value of $393,500 — $853 more than Cumberland County pays.
Staying within New Jersey, the counties nearest Cumberland County by population are Gloucester County (304,504 residents, median tax $7,964 on a median value of $283,500); Atlantic County (274,704 residents, median tax $6,749 on a median value of $272,700); Sussex County (145,117 residents, median tax $8,462 on a median value of $342,800); Hunterdon County (129,448 residents, median tax $10,001 on a median value of $498,800). 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 2.46%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $2,455 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $9,820. 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 Cumberland County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 2.46% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Cumberland County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 2.23% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $3,682 | $307 |
| $250,000 | $6,138 | $511 |
| $350,000 | $8,592 | $716 |
| $500,000 | $12,275 | $1,023 |
| $750,000 | $18,412 | $1,534 |
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 Cumberland County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Cumberland 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 Cumberland County, New Jersey?
The median real estate tax paid in Cumberland County, New Jersey is $5,048 per year, on a median home value of $205,600 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Cumberland County, New Jersey?
Dividing Cumberland County's median tax bill ($5,048) by its median home value ($205,600) gives a derived effective rate of 2.46%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Cumberland County compare with the rest of New Jersey?
Cumberland County ranks #21 of 21 New Jersey counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $5,048 is about 47% lower than the New Jersey median of $9,541.
How are property taxes calculated in Cumberland County, New Jersey?
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 Cumberland County is $5,048 of tax on a $205,600 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Cumberland County, New Jersey?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Cumberland 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.