Property Tax in Northampton County, Pennsylvania
In Northampton County, Pennsylvania, the typical homeowner pays $4,710 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $285,000. 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 Northampton County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $4,710 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Northampton County, and $285,000 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 Northampton County is 1.65% (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 Northampton County
| Measure | Northampton County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $4,710 |
| Median home value | $285,000 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.65% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $392 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $1,653 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $6,612 |
For context, the Pennsylvania medians are $3,241 of tax on $240,500 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Northampton County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Pennsylvania: #5 of 67 counties
- Median home value rank in Pennsylvania: #6 of 67
- Population rank in Pennsylvania: #13 of 67 (315,927 residents)
- Population density rank: #7 of 67 (854 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Pennsylvania: #59 of 67 (369 sq mi, 0.8% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $392; per $1,000 of home value: $1.65
How Northampton County compares
Set against its state, Northampton County's median bill of $4,710 is about 45% higher than the Pennsylvania median ($3,241). Against the country as a whole it is about 59% higher than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #5 of 67 Pennsylvania counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Northampton County's median home, at $285,000, ranks #6 by value in Pennsylvania, while its derived rate of 1.65% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Northampton County: the median bill works out to about $392 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,653 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 315,927 people — the #13 most populous county in Pennsylvania, spread over 369 square miles, a density of about 854 people per square mile. Its median home value, $285,000, ranks #6 among the state's 67 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 145 record a higher median tax bill than Northampton County — it sits in the top 5% nationally. The county holds roughly 2.4% of Pennsylvania's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $285,000 versus $240,500), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.65% adds up to about 16.53% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Forest County, medians $1,162 — $3,548 less than Northampton County per year.
Counties nearest Northampton County in the Pennsylvania ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucks County, PA | $5,833 | $421,700 | 1.38% |
| Montgomery County, PA | $5,776 | $409,900 | 1.41% |
| Lehigh County, PA | $4,591 | $276,100 | 1.66% |
| Monroe County, PA | $4,435 | $241,200 | 1.84% |
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. Northampton County's medians imply a derived rate of 1.65%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $6,612 a year, or around $551 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Checking your assessment in Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
The median real estate tax paid in Northampton County, Pennsylvania is $4,710 per year, on a median home value of $285,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
The derived effective rate is 1.65% — the median bill ($4,710) expressed as a share of the median home value ($285,000). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Northampton County compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
By median taxes paid, Northampton County stands at #5 among the 67 Pennsylvania counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $4,710 median bill is about 45% higher than the state median ($3,241), and 4 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Northampton 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 Northampton County is $4,710 of tax on a $285,000 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Northampton 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.