Property Tax in Jefferson County, New York
In Jefferson County, New York, the typical homeowner pays $2,851 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $181,000. 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 Jefferson County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Jefferson County pay more than $2,851, and half pay less. Your own bill is set by your home's assessed value, the exemptions you qualify for, and the local taxing districts your property sits in — so individual bills vary widely around the median.
Dividing the median tax by the median home value gives a derived effective rate of 1.57% for Jefferson County. It is an estimate built from two survey medians, not the county's official rate, but it is a fair way to compare the local tax burden with other counties where home values are very different.
Jefferson County by the numbers
| Measure | Jefferson County | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $2,851 | $6,450 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $181,000 | $403,000 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.57% | 1.60% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $238 | $538 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Jefferson County at a glance
- Median tax rank in New York: #57 of 62 counties
- Median home value rank in New York: #31 of 62
- Population rank in New York: #25 of 62 (116,130 residents)
- Population density rank: #41 of 62 (92 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in New York: #10 of 62 (1,267 sq mi, 2.7% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $238; per $1,000 of home value: $1.57
How Jefferson County compares
Set against its state, Jefferson County's median bill of $2,851 is about 56% lower than the New York median ($6,450). Against the country as a whole it is about 4% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #57 of 62 New York counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Jefferson County's median home, at $181,000, ranks #31 by value in New York, while its derived rate of 1.57% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Jefferson County: the median bill works out to about $238 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,575 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 116,130 people — the #25 most populous county in New York, spread over 1,267 square miles, a density of about 92 people per square mile. Its median home value, $181,000, ranks #31 among the state's 62 counties with data.
Nationally, Jefferson County's median bill of $2,851 ranks #503 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 16% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 0.6% of New York's population, its median home value is about 55% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 15.75% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Jefferson County to the most expensive county, Nassau County ($10,001), is $7,150 a year.
Counties nearest Jefferson County in the New York ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego County, NY | $2,911 | $175,900 | 1.66% |
| Allegany County, NY | $2,881 | $97,900 | 2.94% |
| Chautauqua County, NY | $2,846 | $119,300 | 2.39% |
| St. Lawrence County, NY | $2,735 | $119,800 | 2.28% |
Jefferson County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Jefferson County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Jefferson County ($2,851) ranks #3 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robeson County, NC | 116,858 | $799 | $88,600 | 0.90% |
| Potter County, TX | 116,634 | $2,028 | $134,900 | 1.50% |
| Wayne County, OH | 116,618 | $2,457 | $204,600 | 1.20% |
| Calhoun County, AL | 116,141 | $610 | $149,500 | 0.41% |
| Newton County, GA | 115,530 | $2,133 | $233,300 | 0.91% |
| St. Mary's County, MD | 114,372 | $3,392 | $390,900 | 0.87% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 113,683 | $3,482 | $471,000 | 0.74% |
| Lycoming County, PA | 113,570 | $2,647 | $195,600 | 1.35% |
The closest population match is Calhoun County, Alabama (116,141 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $610 on a median home value of $149,500 — $2,241 more than Jefferson County pays.
Jefferson County's nearest population neighbours within New York are Chautauqua County (126,329 residents, median tax $2,846 on a median value of $119,300); Oswego County (117,945 residents, median tax $3,595 on a median value of $139,600); Ontario County (112,405 residents, median tax $4,460 on a median value of $202,900); St. Lawrence County (107,796 residents, median tax $2,735 on a median value of $119,800). Comparing them is a reminder that even inside one state's rules, the bill follows local home values and local district rates more than anything decided at the state level.
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Jefferson County's derived rate of 1.57%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $6,300 a year. That is only an illustration using the derived rate — a real bill is computed from the property's assessed value, its exemptions, and the combined rates of its specific taxing districts, so it can be higher or lower.
The usual sequence is: the local assessor values the property; exemptions are applied; the taxable value is multiplied by the combined local rates; and the county bills and collects the tax, distributing it to the schools, municipalities and districts that levied it.
Illustrative bills in Jefferson County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.57% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Jefferson County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.60% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $2,362 | $197 |
| $250,000 | $3,938 | $328 |
| $350,000 | $5,512 | $459 |
| $500,000 | $7,875 | $656 |
| $750,000 | $11,812 | $984 |
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 Jefferson County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, New York?
The median real estate tax paid in Jefferson County, New York is $2,851 per year, on a median home value of $181,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Jefferson County, New York?
On a derived basis, 1.57%: the county's median tax bill of $2,851 divided by its median home value of $181,000. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Jefferson County compare with the rest of New York?
By median taxes paid, Jefferson County stands at #57 among the 62 New York counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $2,851 median bill is about 56% lower than the state median ($6,450), and 56 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Jefferson County, New York?
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 Jefferson County is $2,851 of tax on a $181,000 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Jefferson County, New York?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Jefferson 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.