Property Tax in Chatham County, North Carolina
Homeowners in Chatham County, North Carolina pay a median of $2,671 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $397,800. 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 Chatham County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Chatham County homeowners pay more than $2,671 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 $397,800, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.67%. 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.
Chatham County by the numbers
| Measure | Chatham County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $2,671 | $1,815 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $397,800 | $259,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.67% | 0.70% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $223 | $151 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Chatham County at a glance
- Median tax rank in North Carolina: #5 of 100 counties
- Median home value rank in North Carolina: #4 of 100
- Population rank in North Carolina: #36 of 100 (78,319 residents)
- Population density rank: #49 of 100 (115 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in North Carolina: #18 of 100 (681 sq mi, 1.4% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $223; per $1,000 of home value: $0.67
How Chatham County compares
Set against its state, Chatham County's median bill of $2,671 is about 47% higher than the North Carolina median ($1,815). Against the country as a whole it is about 10% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #5 of 100 North Carolina counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Chatham County's median home, at $397,800, ranks #4 by value in North Carolina, while its derived rate of 0.67% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Chatham County: the median bill works out to about $223 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $671 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 78,319 people — the #36 most populous county in North Carolina, spread over 681 square miles, a density of about 115 people per square mile. Its median home value, $397,800, ranks #4 among the state's 100 counties with data.
Nationally, Chatham County's median bill of $2,671 ranks #593 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 19% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 0.7% of North Carolina's population, its median home value is about 53% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 6.71% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Chatham County to the most expensive county, Orange County ($4,105), is $1,434 a year.
Counties nearest Chatham County in the North Carolina ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham County, NC | $2,951 | $351,700 | 0.84% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | $2,780 | $371,200 | 0.75% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | $2,429 | $318,600 | 0.76% |
| Union County, NC | $2,298 | $374,400 | 0.61% |
Chatham County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Chatham County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Chatham County ($2,671) ranks #3 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, NY | 79,147 | $5,082 | $234,800 | 2.16% |
| Clinton County, NY | 78,961 | $3,461 | $175,100 | 1.98% |
| Clearfield County, PA | 78,902 | $1,488 | $125,000 | 1.19% |
| Wilson County, NC | 78,648 | $1,428 | $171,800 | 0.83% |
| Walker County, TX | 78,292 | $2,312 | $207,900 | 1.11% |
| Anderson County, TN | 78,175 | $1,333 | $215,800 | 0.62% |
| Forrest County, MS | 78,027 | $1,284 | $152,900 | 0.84% |
| Augusta County, VA | 77,713 | $1,379 | $281,400 | 0.49% |
The closest population match is Walker County, Texas (78,292 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $2,312 on a median home value of $207,900 — $359 more than Chatham County pays.
Chatham County's nearest population neighbours within North Carolina are Caldwell County (80,618 residents, median tax $1,112 on a median value of $174,000); Wilson County (78,648 residents, median tax $1,428 on a median value of $171,800); 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). 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
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. Chatham County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.67%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $2,684 a year, or around $224 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Chatham County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.67% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Chatham 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 | $1,006 | $84 |
| $250,000 | $1,678 | $140 |
| $350,000 | $2,348 | $196 |
| $500,000 | $3,355 | $280 |
| $750,000 | $5,033 | $419 |
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 Chatham 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 Chatham 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.
More North Carolina counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Chatham County, North Carolina?
The median real estate tax paid in Chatham County, North Carolina is $2,671 per year, on a median home value of $397,800 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Chatham County, North Carolina?
On a derived basis, 0.67%: the county's median tax bill of $2,671 divided by its median home value of $397,800. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Chatham County compare with the rest of North Carolina?
Chatham County ranks #5 of 100 North Carolina counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $2,671 is about 47% higher than the North Carolina median of $1,815.
How are property taxes calculated in Chatham County, North Carolina?
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 Chatham County is $2,671 of tax on a $397,800 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Chatham County, North Carolina?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Chatham 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.