Property Tax in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Homeowners in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania pay a median of $2,147 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $140,400. 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 Schuylkill County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $2,147 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Schuylkill County, and $140,400 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 Schuylkill County is 1.53% (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 Schuylkill County
| Measure | Schuylkill County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $2,147 |
| Median home value | $140,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.53% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $179 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $1,529 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $6,116 |
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.
Schuylkill County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Pennsylvania: #40 of 67 counties
- Median home value rank in Pennsylvania: #55 of 67
- Population rank in Pennsylvania: #25 of 67 (143,259 residents)
- Population density rank: #29 of 67 (184 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Pennsylvania: #26 of 67 (778 sq mi, 1.7% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $179; per $1,000 of home value: $1.53
How Schuylkill County compares
Set against its state, Schuylkill County's median bill of $2,147 is about 34% lower than the Pennsylvania median ($3,241). Against the country as a whole it is about 28% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #40 of 67 Pennsylvania counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Schuylkill County's median home, at $140,400, ranks #55 by value in Pennsylvania, while its derived rate of 1.53% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Schuylkill County: the median bill works out to about $179 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,529 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 143,259 people — the #25 most populous county in Pennsylvania, spread over 778 square miles, a density of about 184 people per square mile. Its median home value, $140,400, ranks #55 among the state's 67 counties with data.
Nationally, Schuylkill County's median bill of $2,147 ranks #951 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 30% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 1.1% of Pennsylvania's population, its median home value is about 42% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 15.29% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Schuylkill County to the most expensive county, Chester County ($6,191), is $4,044 a year.
Counties nearest Schuylkill County in the Pennsylvania ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong County, PA | $2,175 | $146,300 | 1.49% |
| Juniata County, PA | $2,167 | $206,300 | 1.05% |
| Fulton County, PA | $2,118 | $206,000 | 1.03% |
| Bradford County, PA | $2,110 | $182,300 | 1.16% |
Schuylkill County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Schuylkill County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Schuylkill County ($2,147) ranks #8 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor County, TX | 144,259 | $2,670 | $190,300 | 1.40% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 143,876 | $2,263 | $375,000 | 0.60% |
| Randall County, TX | 143,791 | $3,587 | $227,500 | 1.58% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 143,592 | $3,180 | $227,300 | 1.40% |
| Rock Island County, IL | 142,995 | $3,372 | $144,700 | 2.33% |
| Grayson County, TX | 139,988 | $2,953 | $228,300 | 1.29% |
| Monroe County, IN | 139,822 | $1,837 | $261,700 | 0.70% |
| Marathon County, WI | 138,067 | $3,108 | $205,500 | 1.51% |
The closest population match is Rock Island County, Illinois (142,995 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $3,372 on a median home value of $144,700 — $1,225 less than Schuylkill County pays.
Staying within Pennsylvania, the counties nearest Schuylkill County by population are 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); Cambria County (132,355 residents, median tax $1,487 on a median value of $115,900); Fayette County (126,967 residents, median tax $1,516 on a median value of $126,900). The spread in their median bills — all under the same state framework — shows how much of the property tax burden is decided county by county and district by district.
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 1.53%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $1,529 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $6,116. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Illustrative bills in Schuylkill County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.53% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Schuylkill 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 | $2,294 | $191 |
| $250,000 | $3,822 | $319 |
| $350,000 | $5,352 | $446 |
| $500,000 | $7,645 | $637 |
| $750,000 | $11,468 | $956 |
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 Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania?
The median real estate tax paid in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania is $2,147 per year, on a median home value of $140,400 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania?
The derived effective rate is 1.53% — the median bill ($2,147) expressed as a share of the median home value ($140,400). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Schuylkill County compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
Schuylkill County ranks #40 of 67 Pennsylvania counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $2,147 is about 34% lower than the Pennsylvania median of $3,241.
How are property taxes calculated in Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County is $2,147 of tax on a $140,400 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Schuylkill 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.