Property Tax in Lexington County, South Carolina
The median real estate tax bill in Lexington County, South Carolina is $1,136 per year, and the median home is worth $217,700. Both figures are the US Census Bureau's survey medians for owner-occupied households (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What the Lexington County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $1,136 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Lexington County, and $217,700 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 Lexington County is 0.52% (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.
Lexington County by the numbers
| Measure | Lexington County | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $1,136 | $1,199 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $217,700 | $236,700 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.52% | 0.51% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $95 | $100 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Lexington County at a glance
- Median tax rank in South Carolina: #11 of 46 counties
- Median home value rank in South Carolina: #12 of 46
- Population rank in South Carolina: #6 of 46 (300,370 residents)
- Population density rank: #4 of 46 (430 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in South Carolina: #17 of 46 (698 sq mi, 2.3% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $95; per $1,000 of home value: $0.52
How Lexington County compares
Set against its state, Lexington County's median bill of $1,136 is about 5% lower than the South Carolina median ($1,199). Against the country as a whole it is about 62% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #11 of 46 South Carolina counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Lexington County's median home, at $217,700, ranks #12 by value in South Carolina, while its derived rate of 0.52% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Lexington County: the median bill works out to about $95 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $522 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 300,370 people — the #6 most populous county in South Carolina, spread over 698 square miles, a density of about 430 people per square mile. Its median home value, $217,700, ranks #12 among the state's 46 counties with data.
Nationally, Lexington County's median bill of $1,136 ranks #2205 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 70% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 5.8% of South Carolina's population, its median home value is about 8% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 5.22% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Lexington County to the most expensive county, Beaufort County ($2,022), is $886 a year.
Counties nearest Lexington County in the South Carolina ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County, SC | $1,343 | $280,300 | 0.48% |
| Spartanburg County, SC | $1,217 | $216,000 | 0.56% |
| Georgetown County, SC | $1,117 | $262,300 | 0.43% |
| Newberry County, SC | $1,090 | $158,200 | 0.69% |
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. Lexington County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.52%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $2,088 a year, or around $174 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Checking your assessment in Lexington 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 Lexington 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.
More South Carolina counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Lexington County, South Carolina?
The median real estate tax paid in Lexington County, South Carolina is $1,136 per year, on a median home value of $217,700 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Lexington County, South Carolina?
On a derived basis, 0.52%: the county's median tax bill of $1,136 divided by its median home value of $217,700. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Lexington County compare with the rest of South Carolina?
By median taxes paid, Lexington County stands at #11 among the 46 South Carolina counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $1,136 median bill is about 5% lower than the state median ($1,199), and 10 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Lexington County, South Carolina?
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 Lexington County is $1,136 of tax on a $217,700 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Lexington County, South Carolina?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Lexington 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.