Property Tax in Centre County, Pennsylvania
In Centre County, Pennsylvania, the typical homeowner pays $3,282 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $308,100. 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 Centre County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Centre County pay more than $3,282, 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 1.06% for Centre 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.
Centre County by the numbers
| Measure | Centre County | Pennsylvania | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $3,282 | $3,241 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $308,100 | $240,500 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.06% | 1.35% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $274 | $270 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Centre County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Pennsylvania: #14 of 67 counties
- Median home value rank in Pennsylvania: #4 of 67
- Population rank in Pennsylvania: #22 of 67 (158,041 residents)
- Population density rank: #33 of 67 (143 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Pennsylvania: #5 of 67 (1,107 sq mi, 2.5% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $274; per $1,000 of home value: $1.06
How Centre County compares
Of the 67 Pennsylvania counties with published data, 13 have a higher median property tax bill than Centre County's $3,282, putting the county at #14 in the state. Its bill is about the same as the state median of $3,241 and about 11% higher than the national median of $2,969.
Rates and values pull in opposite directions: an expensive housing market can produce big bills at ordinary rates. Here the derived rate is 1.06%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #4 within Pennsylvania.
Some extra context for Centre County: the median bill works out to about $274 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,065 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 158,041 people — the #22 most populous county in Pennsylvania, spread over 1,107 square miles, a density of about 143 people per square mile. Its median home value, $308,100, ranks #4 among the state's 67 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 373 record a higher median tax bill than Centre County — it sits in the top 12% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.2% of Pennsylvania's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $308,100 versus $240,500), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.06% adds up to about 10.65% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Forest County, medians $1,162 — $2,120 less than Centre County per year.
Counties nearest Centre County in the Pennsylvania ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County, PA | $3,502 | $250,900 | 1.40% |
| Allegheny County, PA | $3,399 | $216,700 | 1.57% |
| Cumberland County, PA | $3,180 | $261,900 | 1.21% |
| Lebanon County, PA | $3,180 | $227,300 | 1.40% |
Centre County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Centre County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 158,041 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Centre County's median bill of $3,282 is #4 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madera County, CA | 158,790 | $2,575 | $367,700 | 0.70% |
| Citrus County, FL | 158,693 | $1,320 | $223,200 | 0.59% |
| Rankin County, MS | 158,218 | $1,384 | $223,400 | 0.62% |
| Parker County, TX | 158,079 | $4,978 | $343,600 | 1.45% |
| Mesa County, CO | 157,316 | $1,357 | $349,400 | 0.39% |
| Alexandria city, VA | 156,788 | $6,879 | $696,800 | 0.99% |
| Franklin County, PA | 156,626 | $2,634 | $236,300 | 1.11% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 156,595 | $5,326 | $363,400 | 1.47% |
The closest population match is Parker County, Texas (158,079 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $4,978 on a median home value of $343,600 — $1,696 less than Centre County pays.
Centre County's nearest population neighbours within Pennsylvania are Monroe County (167,784 residents, median tax $4,435 on a median value of $241,200); Beaver County (166,993 residents, median tax $2,672 on a median value of $185,500); Franklin County (156,626 residents, median tax $2,634 on a median value of $236,300); Lebanon County (143,592 residents, median tax $3,180 on a median value of $227,300). 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. Centre County's medians imply a derived rate of 1.06%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $4,260 a year, or around $355 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Centre County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.06% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Centre County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.35% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,598 | $133 |
| $250,000 | $2,662 | $222 |
| $350,000 | $3,728 | $311 |
| $500,000 | $5,325 | $444 |
| $750,000 | $7,988 | $666 |
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 Centre County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Centre 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 Centre County, Pennsylvania?
The median real estate tax paid in Centre County, Pennsylvania is $3,282 per year, on a median home value of $308,100 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Centre County, Pennsylvania?
On a derived basis, 1.06%: the county's median tax bill of $3,282 divided by its median home value of $308,100. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Centre County compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
By median taxes paid, Centre County stands at #14 among the 67 Pennsylvania counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $3,282 median bill is about the same as the state median ($3,241), and 13 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Centre County, Pennsylvania?
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 Centre County is $3,282 of tax on a $308,100 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Centre County, Pennsylvania?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Centre 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.