Property Tax in Carteret County, North Carolina
The median real estate tax bill in Carteret County, North Carolina is $1,369 per year, and the median home is worth $304,200. Both figures are the US Census Bureau's survey medians for owner-occupied households (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What the Carteret County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Carteret County pay more than $1,369, 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 0.45% for Carteret 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.
Carteret County by the numbers
| Measure | Carteret County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $1,369 | $1,815 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $304,200 | $259,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.45% | 0.70% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $114 | $151 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Carteret County at a glance
- Median tax rank in North Carolina: #40 of 100 counties
- Median home value rank in North Carolina: #17 of 100
- Population rank in North Carolina: #39 of 100 (68,652 residents)
- Population density rank: #45 of 100 (135 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in North Carolina: #41 of 100 (507 sq mi, 1.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $114; per $1,000 of home value: $0.45
How Carteret County compares
The median tax bill in Carteret County is about 25% lower than the state median ($1,815 for North Carolina) and about 54% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #40 out of 100 North Carolina counties with published Census data — 39 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. Carteret County's derived rate of 0.45% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Carteret County: the median bill works out to about $114 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $450 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 68,652 people — the #39 most populous county in North Carolina, spread over 507 square miles, a density of about 135 people per square mile. Its median home value, $304,200, ranks #17 among the state's 100 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 1836 record a higher median tax bill than Carteret County — it sits in the top 59% nationally. The county holds roughly 0.6% of North Carolina's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $304,200 versus $259,400), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.45% adds up to about 4.50% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Hyde County, medians $753 — $616 less than Carteret County per year.
Counties nearest Carteret County in the North Carolina ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chowan County, NC | $1,403 | $204,400 | 0.69% |
| Craven County, NC | $1,372 | $206,200 | 0.67% |
| Hoke County, NC | $1,357 | $196,000 | 0.69% |
| Stanly County, NC | $1,334 | $214,300 | 0.62% |
Carteret County and its population peers
Population is a useful lens on these figures, so the table below sets Carteret County beside the counties closest to it in population anywhere in the country — communities of a similar scale operating under different state and local tax systems. Ranked by median tax paid within this peer group of 9, Carteret County's $1,369 bill is #6 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Earth County, MN | 69,386 | $2,487 | $252,800 | 0.98% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 69,329 | $973 | $166,400 | 0.58% |
| Ward County, ND | 69,232 | $2,785 | $259,100 | 1.07% |
| Iberia Parish, LA | 69,194 | $547 | $156,000 | 0.35% |
| Oldham County, KY | 68,600 | $3,454 | $375,000 | 0.92% |
| Walker County, GA | 68,449 | $1,353 | $173,900 | 0.78% |
| Catoosa County, GA | 68,356 | $1,475 | $214,200 | 0.69% |
| Lincoln County, SD | 68,286 | $3,822 | $323,500 | 1.18% |
The closest population match is Oldham County, Kentucky (68,600 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $3,454 on a median home value of $375,000 — $2,085 less than Carteret County pays.
Carteret County's nearest population neighbours within North Carolina are Franklin County (71,962 residents, median tax $1,732 on a median value of $240,900); Surry County (71,407 residents, median tax $1,033 on a median value of $166,400); Wilkes County (65,983 residents, median tax $1,003 on a median value of $161,400); Rutherford County (64,850 residents, median tax $1,053 on a median value of $180,800). 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 Carteret County's derived rate of 0.45%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $1,800 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 Carteret County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.45% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Carteret County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.70% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $675 | $56 |
| $250,000 | $1,125 | $94 |
| $350,000 | $1,575 | $131 |
| $500,000 | $2,250 | $188 |
| $750,000 | $3,375 | $281 |
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 Carteret County
Believe your assessment is too high? The practical order of attack is: obtain your record card and audit it line by line; collect comparable recent sales in Carteret County; ask the assessor's office to correct anything plainly wrong; and, if the value still seems off, lodge a formal appeal ahead of the deadline printed on your assessment notice. Windows are short — often 30 to 90 days — and late appeals are usually rejected outright, however strong the case.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Carteret County, North Carolina?
The median real estate tax paid in Carteret County, North Carolina is $1,369 per year, on a median home value of $304,200 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Carteret County, North Carolina?
The derived effective rate is 0.45% — the median bill ($1,369) expressed as a share of the median home value ($304,200). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Carteret County compare with the rest of North Carolina?
By median taxes paid, Carteret County stands at #40 among the 100 North Carolina counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $1,369 median bill is about 25% lower than the state median ($1,815), and 39 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Carteret County, North Carolina?
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 Carteret County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $1,369 on a median home value of $304,200.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Carteret County, North Carolina?
Yes — appeals are handled locally. Start with the Carteret County assessor's property record card for your home, correct any factual errors, and back your case with comparable recent sales. Formal appeals go to the review board named on your assessment notice and must be filed by its deadline, typically within 30 to 90 days.