Property Tax in Sumter County, South Carolina
In Sumter County, South Carolina, the typical homeowner pays $860 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $159,500. 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 Sumter County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Sumter County pay more than $860, and half pay less. Your own bill is set by your home's assessed value, the exemptions you qualify for, and the local taxing districts your property sits in — so individual bills vary widely around the median.
Dividing the median tax by the median home value gives a derived effective rate of 0.54% for Sumter County. It is an estimate built from two survey medians, not the county's official rate, but it is a fair way to compare the local tax burden with other counties where home values are very different.
The key figures for Sumter County
| Measure | Sumter County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $860 |
| Median home value | $159,500 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.54% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $72 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $539 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $2,156 |
For context, the South Carolina medians are $1,199 of tax on $236,700 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Sumter County at a glance
- Median tax rank in South Carolina: #22 of 46 counties
- Median home value rank in South Carolina: #22 of 46
- Population rank in South Carolina: #15 of 46 (104,853 residents)
- Population density rank: #16 of 46 (158 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in South Carolina: #20 of 46 (665 sq mi, 2.2% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $72; per $1,000 of home value: $0.54
How Sumter County compares
Set against its state, Sumter County's median bill of $860 is about 28% lower than the South Carolina median ($1,199). Against the country as a whole it is about 71% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #22 of 46 South Carolina counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Sumter County's median home, at $159,500, ranks #22 by value in South Carolina, while its derived rate of 0.54% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Sumter County: the median bill works out to about $72 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $539 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 104,853 people — the #15 most populous county in South Carolina, spread over 665 square miles, a density of about 158 people per square mile. Its median home value, $159,500, ranks #22 among the state's 46 counties with data.
Nationally, Sumter County's median bill of $860 ranks #2568 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 82% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 2.0% of South Carolina's population, its median home value is about 33% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 5.39% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Sumter County to the most expensive county, Beaufort County ($2,022), is $1,162 a year.
Counties nearest Sumter County in the South Carolina ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgefield County, SC | $877 | $194,300 | 0.45% |
| Aiken County, SC | $862 | $199,500 | 0.43% |
| Oconee County, SC | $856 | $217,200 | 0.39% |
| Clarendon County, SC | $848 | $147,300 | 0.58% |
Sumter County and its population peers
Population is a useful lens on these figures, so the table below sets Sumter County beside the counties closest to it in population anywhere in the country — communities of a similar scale operating under different state and local tax systems. Ranked by median tax paid within this peer group of 9, Sumter County's $860 bill is the lowest.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, MO | 105,316 | $1,774 | $214,900 | 0.83% |
| Adams County, PA | 105,183 | $3,569 | $256,100 | 1.39% |
| Hunt County, TX | 104,917 | $2,736 | $210,900 | 1.30% |
| Maury County, TN | 104,855 | $1,476 | $307,500 | 0.48% |
| Cecil County, MD | 104,366 | $3,059 | $311,800 | 0.98% |
| Dallas County, IA | 104,136 | $4,849 | $333,400 | 1.45% |
| Wicomico County, MD | 104,117 | $2,120 | $238,900 | 0.89% |
| Fond du Lac County, WI | 104,053 | $3,311 | $209,800 | 1.58% |
The closest population match is Maury County, Tennessee (104,855 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,476 on a median home value of $307,500 — $616 less than Sumter County pays.
Sumter County's nearest population neighbours within South Carolina are Florence County (136,921 residents, median tax $724 on a median value of $165,500); Pickens County (132,604 residents, median tax $821 on a median value of $216,000); Lancaster County (100,905 residents, median tax $1,487 on a median value of $298,100); Orangeburg County (83,531 residents, median tax $724 on a median value of $109,700). Comparing them is a reminder that even inside one state's rules, the bill follows local home values and local district rates more than anything decided at the state level.
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 0.54%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $539 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $2,156. 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 Sumter County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.54% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Sumter County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.51% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $808 | $67 |
| $250,000 | $1,348 | $112 |
| $350,000 | $1,886 | $157 |
| $500,000 | $2,695 | $225 |
| $750,000 | $4,042 | $337 |
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 Sumter County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Sumter 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 South Carolina counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Sumter County, South Carolina?
The median real estate tax paid in Sumter County, South Carolina is $860 per year, on a median home value of $159,500 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Sumter County, South Carolina?
The derived effective rate is 0.54% — the median bill ($860) expressed as a share of the median home value ($159,500). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Sumter County compare with the rest of South Carolina?
By median taxes paid, Sumter County stands at #22 among the 46 South Carolina counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $860 median bill is about 28% lower than the state median ($1,199), and 21 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Sumter County, South Carolina?
The assessor estimates your property's market value; exemptions (such as a homestead exemption) reduce the taxable amount; and the result is multiplied by the combined rates of the local taxing districts — county, municipality, school district and any special districts. In Sumter County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $860 on a median home value of $159,500.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Sumter County, South Carolina?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Sumter 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.