Property Tax in Durham County, North Carolina
The median real estate tax bill in Durham County, North Carolina is $2,951 per year, and the median home is worth $351,700. 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 Durham County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $2,951 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Durham County, and $351,700 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 Durham County is 0.84% (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.
The key figures for Durham County
| Measure | Durham County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $2,951 |
| Median home value | $351,700 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.84% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $246 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $839 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $3,356 |
For context, the North Carolina medians are $1,815 of tax on $259,400 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Durham County at a glance
- Median tax rank in North Carolina: #3 of 100 counties
- Median home value rank in North Carolina: #9 of 100
- Population rank in North Carolina: #6 of 100 (329,405 residents)
- Population density rank: #4 of 100 (1,146 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in North Carolina: #84 of 100 (287 sq mi, 0.6% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $246; per $1,000 of home value: $0.84
How Durham County compares
Set against its state, Durham County's median bill of $2,951 is about 63% higher than the North Carolina median ($1,815). Against the country as a whole it is about the same as the US median ($2,969). That places the county #3 of 100 North Carolina counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Durham County's median home, at $351,700, ranks #9 by value in North Carolina, while its derived rate of 0.84% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Durham County: the median bill works out to about $246 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $839 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 329,405 people — the #6 most populous county in North Carolina, spread over 287 square miles, a density of about 1,146 people per square mile. Its median home value, $351,700, ranks #9 among the state's 100 counties with data.
Nationally, Durham County's median bill of $2,951 ranks #454 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 14% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 3.1% of North Carolina's population, its median home value is about 36% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 8.39% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Durham County to the most expensive county, Orange County ($4,105), is $1,154 a year.
Counties nearest Durham County in the North Carolina ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, NC | $4,105 | $428,500 | 0.96% |
| Wake County, NC | $3,023 | $422,800 | 0.71% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | $2,780 | $371,200 | 0.75% |
| Chatham County, NC | $2,671 | $397,800 | 0.67% |
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 0.84%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $839 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $3,356. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Checking your assessment in Durham 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 Durham 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 Durham County, North Carolina?
The median real estate tax paid in Durham County, North Carolina is $2,951 per year, on a median home value of $351,700 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Durham County, North Carolina?
The derived effective rate is 0.84% — the median bill ($2,951) expressed as a share of the median home value ($351,700). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Durham County compare with the rest of North Carolina?
Durham County ranks #3 of 100 North Carolina counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $2,951 is about 63% higher than the North Carolina median of $1,815.
How are property taxes calculated in Durham 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 Durham County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $2,951 on a median home value of $351,700.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Durham County, North Carolina?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Durham 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.