Property Tax in Franklin County, North Carolina
The median real estate tax bill in Franklin County, North Carolina is $1,732 per year, and the median home is worth $240,900. 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 Franklin County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $1,732 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Franklin County, and $240,900 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 Franklin County is 0.72% (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.
Franklin County by the numbers
| Measure | Franklin County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $1,732 | $1,815 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $240,900 | $259,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.72% | 0.70% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $144 | $151 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Franklin County at a glance
- Median tax rank in North Carolina: #21 of 100 counties
- Median home value rank in North Carolina: #28 of 100
- Population rank in North Carolina: #37 of 100 (71,962 residents)
- Population density rank: #40 of 100 (146 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in North Carolina: #44 of 100 (491 sq mi, 1.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $144; per $1,000 of home value: $0.72
How Franklin County compares
Set against its state, Franklin County's median bill of $1,732 is about 5% lower than the North Carolina median ($1,815). Against the country as a whole it is about 42% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #21 of 100 North Carolina counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Franklin County's median home, at $240,900, ranks #28 by value in North Carolina, while its derived rate of 0.72% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Franklin County: the median bill works out to about $144 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $719 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 71,962 people — the #37 most populous county in North Carolina, spread over 491 square miles, a density of about 146 people per square mile. Its median home value, $240,900, ranks #28 among the state's 100 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 1354 record a higher median tax bill than Franklin County — it sits in the top 43% nationally. The county holds roughly 0.7% of North Carolina's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $240,900 versus $259,400), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.72% adds up to about 7.19% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Hyde County, medians $753 — $979 less than Franklin County per year.
Counties nearest Franklin County in the North Carolina ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camden County, NC | $1,784 | $289,800 | 0.62% |
| Moore County, NC | $1,784 | $315,300 | 0.57% |
| Lee County, NC | $1,707 | $213,800 | 0.80% |
| Granville County, NC | $1,694 | $235,700 | 0.72% |
Franklin County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Franklin County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 71,962 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Franklin County's median bill of $1,732 is #3 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wise County, TX | 72,359 | $3,293 | $277,200 | 1.19% |
| Creek County, OK | 72,353 | $1,261 | $170,900 | 0.74% |
| Morgan County, IN | 72,202 | $1,056 | $220,100 | 0.48% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 71,984 | $1,223 | $124,500 | 0.98% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 71,946 | $458 | $135,500 | 0.34% |
| Riley County, KS | 71,710 | $3,317 | $231,200 | 1.44% |
| Surry County, NC | 71,407 | $1,033 | $166,400 | 0.62% |
| McKinley County, NM | 71,172 | $1,362 | $72,100 | 1.89% |
The closest population match is DeKalb County, Alabama (71,946 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $458 on a median home value of $135,500 — $1,274 more than Franklin County pays.
Inside North Carolina itself, the counties closest to Franklin County in population are Wilson County (78,648 residents, median tax $1,428 on a median value of $171,800); Chatham County (78,319 residents, median tax $2,671 on a median value of $397,800); Surry County (71,407 residents, median tax $1,033 on a median value of $166,400); Carteret County (68,652 residents, median tax $1,369 on a median value of $304,200). Same state, same broad tax framework — yet the median bills still differ, because assessed values and the mix of county, municipal and school-district rates are set locally.
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. Franklin County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.72%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $2,876 a year, or around $240 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Franklin County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.72% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Franklin 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 | $1,078 | $90 |
| $250,000 | $1,798 | $150 |
| $350,000 | $2,516 | $210 |
| $500,000 | $3,595 | $300 |
| $750,000 | $5,392 | $449 |
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 Franklin County
If your bill looks wrong, work through these steps:
1. Get your property record card from the assessor and check the basics — living area, lot size, bedrooms, condition, and any exemptions you should have.
2. Compare your assessed value with recent sale prices of similar homes in Franklin County.
3. Talk to the assessor's office informally first; clear errors are often fixed without a hearing.
4. If needed, file a formal appeal with the local review board before the deadline on your assessment notice, with your evidence attached.
5. Keep paying the bill as issued while the appeal runs, unless your notice says otherwise — unpaid taxes accrue penalties regardless of an appeal.
More North Carolina counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Franklin County, North Carolina?
The median real estate tax paid in Franklin County, North Carolina is $1,732 per year, on a median home value of $240,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Franklin County, North Carolina?
The derived effective rate is 0.72% — the median bill ($1,732) expressed as a share of the median home value ($240,900). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Franklin County compare with the rest of North Carolina?
Franklin County ranks #21 of 100 North Carolina counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $1,732 is about 5% lower than the North Carolina median of $1,815.
How are property taxes calculated in Franklin 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 Franklin County is $1,732 of tax on a $240,900 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Franklin County, North Carolina?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Franklin 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.