Property Tax in Hamilton County, Tennessee
In Hamilton County, Tennessee, the typical homeowner pays $1,888 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $282,100. 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 Hamilton County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Hamilton County pay more than $1,888, 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 0.67% for Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
| Measure | Hamilton County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $1,888 |
| Median home value | $282,100 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.67% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $157 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $669 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $2,676 |
For context, the Tennessee medians are $1,400 of tax on $256,800 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Hamilton County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Tennessee: #5 of 95 counties
- Median home value rank in Tennessee: #12 of 95
- Population rank in Tennessee: #4 of 95 (370,913 residents)
- Population density rank: #4 of 95 (684 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Tennessee: #27 of 95 (542 sq mi, 1.3% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $157; per $1,000 of home value: $0.67
How Hamilton County compares
The median tax bill in Hamilton County is about 35% higher than the state median ($1,400 for Tennessee) and about 36% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #5 out of 95 Tennessee counties with published Census data — 4 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. Hamilton County's derived rate of 0.67% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Hamilton County: the median bill works out to about $157 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $669 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 370,913 people — the #4 most populous county in Tennessee, spread over 542 square miles, a density of about 684 people per square mile. Its median home value, $282,100, ranks #12 among the state's 95 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 1173 record a higher median tax bill than Hamilton County — it sits in the top 37% nationally. The county holds roughly 5.3% of Tennessee's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $282,100 versus $256,800), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.67% adds up to about 6.69% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Fentress County, medians $519 — $1,369 less than Hamilton County per year.
Counties nearest Hamilton County in the Tennessee ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, TN | $2,376 | $229,700 | 1.03% |
| Sumner County, TN | $1,944 | $364,000 | 0.53% |
| Rutherford County, TN | $1,757 | $346,400 | 0.51% |
| Wilson County, TN | $1,743 | $397,000 | 0.44% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Hamilton County's derived rate of 0.67%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $2,676 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.
Checking your assessment in Hamilton County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Hamilton 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Hamilton County, Tennessee?
The median real estate tax paid in Hamilton County, Tennessee is $1,888 per year, on a median home value of $282,100 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Hamilton County, Tennessee?
The derived effective rate is 0.67% — the median bill ($1,888) expressed as a share of the median home value ($282,100). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Hamilton County compare with the rest of Tennessee?
Hamilton County ranks #5 of 95 Tennessee counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $1,888 is about 35% higher than the Tennessee median of $1,400.
How are property taxes calculated in Hamilton County, Tennessee?
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 Hamilton County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $1,888 on a median home value of $282,100.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Hamilton County, Tennessee?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Hamilton 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.