Property Tax in Knox County, Tennessee
The median real estate tax bill in Knox County, Tennessee is $1,332 per year, and the median home is worth $279,700. 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 Knox County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Knox County pay more than $1,332, 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 0.48% for Knox 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 Knox County
| Measure | Knox County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $1,332 |
| Median home value | $279,700 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.48% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $111 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $476 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $1,904 |
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.
Knox County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Tennessee: #17 of 95 counties
- Median home value rank in Tennessee: #13 of 95
- Population rank in Tennessee: #3 of 95 (487,401 residents)
- Population density rank: #3 of 95 (959 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Tennessee: #36 of 95 (508 sq mi, 1.2% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $111; per $1,000 of home value: $0.48
How Knox County compares
Of the 95 Tennessee counties with published data, 16 have a higher median property tax bill than Knox County's $1,332, putting the county at #17 in the state. Its bill is about 5% lower than the state median of $1,400 and about 55% lower than the national median of $2,969.
Rates and values pull in opposite directions: an expensive housing market can produce big bills at ordinary rates. Here the derived rate is 0.48%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #13 within Tennessee.
Some extra context for Knox County: the median bill works out to about $111 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $476 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 487,401 people — the #3 most populous county in Tennessee, spread over 508 square miles, a density of about 959 people per square mile. Its median home value, $279,700, ranks #13 among the state's 95 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 1903 record a higher median tax bill than Knox County — it sits in the top 61% nationally. The county holds roughly 7.0% of Tennessee's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $279,700 versus $256,800), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.48% adds up to about 4.76% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Fentress County, medians $519 — $813 less than Knox County per year.
Counties nearest Knox County in the Tennessee ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County, TN | $1,334 | $246,100 | 0.54% |
| Anderson County, TN | $1,333 | $215,800 | 0.62% |
| Putnam County, TN | $1,299 | $246,800 | 0.53% |
| Washington County, TN | $1,278 | $231,700 | 0.55% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Knox County's derived rate of 0.48%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $1,904 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 Knox 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 Knox 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Knox County, Tennessee?
The median real estate tax paid in Knox County, Tennessee is $1,332 per year, on a median home value of $279,700 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Knox County, Tennessee?
Dividing Knox County's median tax bill ($1,332) by its median home value ($279,700) gives a derived effective rate of 0.48%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Knox County compare with the rest of Tennessee?
By median taxes paid, Knox County stands at #17 among the 95 Tennessee counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $1,332 median bill is about 5% lower than the state median ($1,400), and 16 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Knox County, Tennessee?
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 Knox County is $1,332 of tax on a $279,700 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Knox County, Tennessee?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Knox 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.