Property Tax in Montgomery County, Virginia
Homeowners in Montgomery County, Virginia pay a median of $2,174 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $283,600. Those are the Census Bureau's published medians for the county (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023) — the typical bill and the typical home value for owner-occupied households.
What the Montgomery County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $2,174 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Montgomery County, and $283,600 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 Montgomery County is 0.77% (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.
Montgomery County by the numbers
| Measure | Montgomery County | Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $2,174 | $2,686 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $283,600 | $360,700 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.77% | 0.74% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $181 | $224 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Montgomery County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Virginia: #42 of 133 counties
- Median home value rank in Virginia: #47 of 133
- Population rank in Virginia: #18 of 133 (99,159 residents)
- Population density rank: #49 of 133 (256 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Virginia: #48 of 133 (386 sq mi, 1.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $181; per $1,000 of home value: $0.77
How Montgomery County compares
Of the 133 Virginia counties with published data, 41 have a higher median property tax bill than Montgomery County's $2,174, putting the county at #42 in the state. Its bill is about 19% lower than the state median of $2,686 and about 27% 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 0.77%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #47 within Virginia.
Some extra context for Montgomery County: the median bill works out to about $181 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $767 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 99,159 people — the #18 most populous county in Virginia, spread over 386 square miles, a density of about 256 people per square mile. Its median home value, $283,600, ranks #47 among the state's 133 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 930 record a higher median tax bill than Montgomery County — it sits in the top 30% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.1% of Virginia's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $283,600 versus $360,700), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.77% adds up to about 7.67% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Buchanan County, medians $404 — $1,770 less than Montgomery County per year.
Counties nearest Montgomery County in the Virginia ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem city, VA | $2,232 | $244,800 | 0.91% |
| King George County, VA | $2,221 | $395,900 | 0.56% |
| Harrisonburg city, VA | $2,172 | $278,200 | 0.78% |
| Colonial Heights city, VA | $2,127 | $231,700 | 0.92% |
Montgomery County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Montgomery County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 99,159 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Montgomery County's median bill of $2,174 is #6 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walton County, GA | 100,361 | $2,431 | $300,500 | 0.81% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 100,170 | $1,240 | $180,200 | 0.69% |
| Garland County, AR | 100,062 | $915 | $176,400 | 0.52% |
| Sherburne County, MN | 99,178 | $3,311 | $332,700 | 0.99% |
| Burleigh County, ND | 98,986 | $2,764 | $314,700 | 0.88% |
| Floyd County, GA | 98,985 | $1,560 | $194,100 | 0.80% |
| Sutter County, CA | 98,971 | $3,111 | $399,400 | 0.78% |
| Dubuque County, IA | 98,948 | $2,848 | $226,100 | 1.26% |
The closest population match is Sherburne County, Minnesota (99,178 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $3,311 on a median home value of $332,700 — $1,137 less than Montgomery County pays.
Staying within Virginia, the counties nearest Montgomery County by population are Albemarle County (113,683 residents, median tax $3,482 on a median value of $471,000); Hanover County (111,652 residents, median tax $2,506 on a median value of $372,700); Roanoke city (98,677 residents, median tax $1,828 on a median value of $180,500); Portsmouth city (97,299 residents, median tax $2,452 on a median value of $229,400). The spread in their median bills — all under the same state framework — shows how much of the property tax burden is decided county by county and district by district.
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. Montgomery County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.77%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $3,068 a year, or around $256 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Montgomery County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.77% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Montgomery County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.74% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,150 | $96 |
| $250,000 | $1,918 | $160 |
| $350,000 | $2,684 | $224 |
| $500,000 | $3,835 | $320 |
| $750,000 | $5,752 | $479 |
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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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.
More Virginia counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Montgomery County, Virginia?
The median real estate tax paid in Montgomery County, Virginia is $2,174 per year, on a median home value of $283,600 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Montgomery County, Virginia?
On a derived basis, 0.77%: the county's median tax bill of $2,174 divided by its median home value of $283,600. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Montgomery County compare with the rest of Virginia?
By median taxes paid, Montgomery County stands at #42 among the 133 Virginia counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $2,174 median bill is about 19% lower than the state median ($2,686), and 41 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Montgomery County, Virginia?
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 Montgomery County is $2,174 of tax on a $283,600 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Montgomery County, Virginia?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Montgomery 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.