Property Tax in Kent County, Rhode Island
In Kent County, Rhode Island, the typical homeowner pays $4,903 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $333,900. 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 Kent County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $4,903 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Kent County, and $333,900 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 Kent County is 1.47% (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.
Kent County by the numbers
| Measure | Kent County | Rhode Island | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $4,903 | $4,854 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $333,900 | $368,800 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.47% | 1.32% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $409 | $404 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Kent County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Rhode Island: #4 of 5 counties
- Median home value rank in Rhode Island: #5 of 5
- Population rank in Rhode Island: #2 of 5 (170,658 residents)
- Population density rank: #3 of 5 (1,012 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Rhode Island: #3 of 5 (168 sq mi, 16.3% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $409; per $1,000 of home value: $1.47
How Kent County compares
Set against its state, Kent County's median bill of $4,903 is about the same as the Rhode Island median ($4,854). Against the country as a whole it is about 65% higher than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #4 of 5 Rhode Island counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Kent County's median home, at $333,900, ranks #5 by value in Rhode Island, while its derived rate of 1.47% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Kent County: the median bill works out to about $409 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,468 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 170,658 people — the #2 most populous county in Rhode Island, spread over 168 square miles, a density of about 1,012 people per square mile. Its median home value, $333,900, ranks #5 among the state's 5 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 130 record a higher median tax bill than Kent County — it sits in the top 4% nationally. The county holds roughly 15.6% of Rhode Island's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $333,900 versus $368,800), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.47% adds up to about 14.68% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Providence County, medians $4,661 — $242 less than Kent County per year.
Counties nearest Kent County in the Rhode Island ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport County, RI | $5,345 | $559,700 | 0.95% |
| Washington County, RI | $4,954 | $469,800 | 1.05% |
| Providence County, RI | $4,661 | $339,100 | 1.38% |
Kent County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Kent County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 170,658 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Kent County's median bill of $4,903 is #2 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midland County, TX | 171,496 | $3,697 | $293,000 | 1.26% |
| Winnebago County, WI | 171,357 | $3,573 | $208,600 | 1.71% |
| Davidson County, NC | 171,063 | $1,262 | $200,100 | 0.63% |
| McLean County, IL | 170,882 | $4,503 | $198,300 | 2.27% |
| Kenton County, KY | 169,817 | $2,284 | $227,500 | 1.00% |
| Chittenden County, VT | 168,831 | $6,527 | $404,500 | 1.61% |
| Pueblo County, CO | 168,726 | $1,382 | $271,800 | 0.51% |
| Charles County, MD | 168,710 | $4,179 | $402,300 | 1.04% |
The closest population match is McLean County, Illinois (170,882 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $4,503 on a median home value of $198,300 — $400 more than Kent County pays.
Inside Rhode Island itself, the counties closest to Kent County in population are Providence County (658,977 residents, median tax $4,661 on a median value of $339,100); Washington County (130,073 residents, median tax $4,954 on a median value of $469,800); Newport County (85,095 residents, median tax $5,345 on a median value of $559,700). 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
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Kent County's derived rate of 1.47%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $5,872 a year. That is only an illustration using the derived rate — a real bill is computed from the property's assessed value, its exemptions, and the combined rates of its specific taxing districts, so it can be higher or lower.
The usual sequence is: the local assessor values the property; exemptions are applied; the taxable value is multiplied by the combined local rates; and the county bills and collects the tax, distributing it to the schools, municipalities and districts that levied it.
Illustrative bills in Kent County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.47% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Kent County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.32% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $2,202 | $184 |
| $250,000 | $3,670 | $306 |
| $350,000 | $5,138 | $428 |
| $500,000 | $7,340 | $612 |
| $750,000 | $11,010 | $918 |
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 Kent County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Kent 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.
More Rhode Island counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Kent County, Rhode Island?
The median real estate tax paid in Kent County, Rhode Island is $4,903 per year, on a median home value of $333,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Kent County, Rhode Island?
Dividing Kent County's median tax bill ($4,903) by its median home value ($333,900) gives a derived effective rate of 1.47%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Kent County compare with the rest of Rhode Island?
By median taxes paid, Kent County stands at #4 among the 5 Rhode Island counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $4,903 median bill is about the same as the state median ($4,854), and 3 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Kent County, Rhode Island?
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 Kent County is $4,903 of tax on a $333,900 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Kent County, Rhode Island?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Kent 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.