Property Tax in Sevier County, Tennessee
The median real estate tax bill in Sevier County, Tennessee is $815 per year, and the median home is worth $259,500. 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 Sevier County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $815 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Sevier County, and $259,500 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 Sevier County is 0.31% (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.
Sevier County by the numbers
| Measure | Sevier County | Tennessee | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $815 | $1,400 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $259,500 | $256,800 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.31% | 0.55% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $68 | $117 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Sevier County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Tennessee: #58 of 95 counties
- Median home value rank in Tennessee: #16 of 95
- Population rank in Tennessee: #16 of 95 (98,802 residents)
- Population density rank: #21 of 95 (167 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Tennessee: #15 of 95 (592 sq mi, 1.4% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $68; per $1,000 of home value: $0.31
How Sevier County compares
Set against its state, Sevier County's median bill of $815 is about 42% lower than the Tennessee median ($1,400). Against the country as a whole it is about 73% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #58 of 95 Tennessee counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Sevier County's median home, at $259,500, ranks #16 by value in Tennessee, while its derived rate of 0.31% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Sevier County: the median bill works out to about $68 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $314 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 98,802 people — the #16 most populous county in Tennessee, spread over 592 square miles, a density of about 167 people per square mile. Its median home value, $259,500, ranks #16 among the state's 95 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 2636 record a higher median tax bill than Sevier County — it sits in the top 84% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.4% of Tennessee's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $259,500 versus $256,800), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.31% adds up to about 3.14% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Fentress County, medians $519 — $296 less than Sevier County per year.
Counties nearest Sevier County in the Tennessee ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, TN | $833 | $157,200 | 0.53% |
| Rhea County, TN | $825 | $178,500 | 0.46% |
| Carroll County, TN | $809 | $122,100 | 0.66% |
| White County, TN | $809 | $190,200 | 0.42% |
Sevier County and its population peers
Population is a useful lens on these figures, so the table below sets Sevier 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, Sevier County's $815 bill is #8 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter County, CA | 98,971 | $3,111 | $399,400 | 0.78% |
| Dubuque County, IA | 98,948 | $2,848 | $226,100 | 1.26% |
| Madison County, TN | 98,845 | $1,161 | $189,700 | 0.61% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 98,823 | $2,412 | $181,100 | 1.33% |
| Marshall County, AL | 98,712 | $699 | $183,400 | 0.38% |
| Roanoke city, VA | 98,677 | $1,828 | $180,500 | 1.01% |
| Story County, IA | 98,592 | $3,586 | $243,600 | 1.47% |
| Liberty County, TX | 97,993 | $2,091 | $167,100 | 1.25% |
The closest population match is Lenawee County, Michigan (98,823 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $2,412 on a median home value of $181,100 — $1,597 less than Sevier County pays.
Sevier County's nearest population neighbours within Tennessee are Maury County (104,855 residents, median tax $1,476 on a median value of $307,500); Madison County (98,845 residents, median tax $1,161 on a median value of $189,700); Putnam County (81,366 residents, median tax $1,299 on a median value of $246,800); Anderson County (78,175 residents, median tax $1,333 on a median value of $215,800). 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
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Sevier County's derived rate of 0.31%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $1,256 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 Sevier County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.31% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Sevier County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.55% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $471 | $39 |
| $250,000 | $785 | $65 |
| $350,000 | $1,099 | $92 |
| $500,000 | $1,570 | $131 |
| $750,000 | $2,355 | $196 |
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 Sevier County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Sevier 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 Tennessee counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Sevier County, Tennessee?
The median real estate tax paid in Sevier County, Tennessee is $815 per year, on a median home value of $259,500 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Sevier County, Tennessee?
The derived effective rate is 0.31% — the median bill ($815) expressed as a share of the median home value ($259,500). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Sevier County compare with the rest of Tennessee?
By median taxes paid, Sevier County stands at #58 among the 95 Tennessee counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $815 median bill is about 42% lower than the state median ($1,400), and 57 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Sevier 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 Sevier County is $815 of tax on a $259,500 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Sevier County, Tennessee?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Sevier 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.