Property Tax in Washington County, Rhode Island

What the Washington County numbers mean

Read the two medians together: $4,954 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Washington County, and $469,800 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 Washington County is 1.05% (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.

Washington County by the numbers

*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.

Washington County at a glance

• Median tax rank in Rhode Island: #3 of 5 counties
• Median home value rank in Rhode Island: #2 of 5
• Population rank in Rhode Island: #3 of 5 (130,073 residents)
• Population density rank: #5 of 5 (395 people per square mile)
• Land area rank in Rhode Island: #2 of 5 (329 sq mi, 31.8% of the combined county land area)
• Median tax as a monthly figure: $413; per $1,000 of home value: $1.05

How Washington County compares

The median tax bill in Washington County is about the same as the state median ($4,854 for Rhode Island) and about 67% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #3 out of 5 Rhode Island counties with published Census data — 2 counties in the state have a higher median bill.

Comparisons cut both ways: a county can have a modest rate but high bills because homes are expensive, or a high rate but modest bills because homes are cheaper. Washington County's derived rate of 1.05% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.

Some extra context for Washington County: the median bill works out to about $413 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,054 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 130,073 people — the #3 most populous county in Rhode Island, spread over 329 square miles, a density of about 395 people per square mile. Its median home value, $469,800, ranks #2 among the state's 5 counties with data.

Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 127 record a higher median tax bill than Washington County — it sits in the top 4% nationally. The county holds roughly 11.9% of Rhode Island's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $469,800 versus $368,800), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.05% adds up to about 10.54% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Providence County, medians $4,661 — $293 less than Washington County per year.

Counties nearest Washington County in the Rhode Island ranking

Washington County and its population peers

For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Washington County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 130,073 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Washington County's median bill of $4,954 is #2 of 9.

The closest population match is Wichita County, Texas (129,842 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $2,501 on a median home value of $141,600 — $2,453 more than Washington County pays.

Inside Rhode Island itself, the counties closest to Washington County in population are Providence County (658,977 residents, median tax $4,661 on a median value of $339,100); Kent County (170,658 residents, median tax $4,903 on a median value of $333,900); Newport County (85,095 residents, median tax $5,345 on a median value of $559,700); Bristol County (50,568 residents, median tax $6,483 on a median value of $468,000). 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 Washington County's derived rate of 1.05%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $4,216 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 Washington County at the derived rate

The derived rate of 1.05% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Washington County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.32% and the US figure of 0.98%:

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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Rhode Island counties

• Kent County, RI — $4,903
• Newport County, RI — $5,345
• Bristol County, RI — $6,483
• Providence County, RI — $4,661

Frequently asked questions