Property Tax in Richmond city, Virginia

What the Richmond city numbers mean

Read the two medians together: $2,834 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Richmond city, and $328,100 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 Richmond city is 0.86% (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.

Richmond city by the numbers

*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.

Richmond city at a glance

• Median tax rank in Virginia: #19 of 133 counties
• Median home value rank in Virginia: #39 of 133
• Population rank in Virginia: #10 of 133 (227,595 residents)
• Population density rank: #9 of 133 (3,798 people per square mile)
• Land area rank in Virginia: #99 of 133 (59 sq mi, 0.2% of the combined county land area)
• Median tax as a monthly figure: $236; per $1,000 of home value: $0.86

How Richmond city compares

Set against its state, Richmond city's median bill of $2,834 is about 6% higher than the Virginia median ($2,686). Against the country as a whole it is about 5% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #19 of 133 Virginia counties ranked by median taxes paid.

Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Richmond city's median home, at $328,100, ranks #39 by value in Virginia, while its derived rate of 0.86% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.

Some extra context for Richmond city: the median bill works out to about $236 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $864 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 227,595 people — the #10 most populous county in Virginia, spread over 59 square miles, a density of about 3,798 people per square mile. Its median home value, $328,100, ranks #39 among the state's 133 counties with data.

Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 508 record a higher median tax bill than Richmond city — it sits in the top 16% nationally. The county holds roughly 2.6% of Virginia's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $328,100 versus $360,700), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.86% adds up to about 8.64% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Buchanan County, medians $404 — $2,430 less than Richmond city per year.

Counties nearest Richmond city in the Virginia ranking

Richmond city and its population peers

Population is a useful lens on these figures, so the table below sets Richmond city 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, Richmond city's $2,834 bill is #3 of 9.

The closest population match is Montgomery County, Tennessee (227,957 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,671 on a median home value of $248,300 — $1,163 more than Richmond city pays.

Staying within Virginia, the counties nearest Richmond city by population are Arlington County (235,463 residents, median tax $7,774 on a median value of $864,800); Norfolk city (235,037 residents, median tax $2,738 on a median value of $271,900); Newport News city (184,774 residents, median tax $2,507 on a median value of $243,300); Stafford County (160,520 residents, median tax $3,301 on a median value of $458,800). 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

As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Richmond city's derived rate of 0.86%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $3,456 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 Richmond city at the derived rate

The derived rate of 0.86% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Richmond city — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.74% and the US figure of 0.98%:

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 Richmond city

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 Richmond city.
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

• Norfolk city, VA — $2,738
• Arlington County, VA — $7,774
• Chesapeake city, VA — $2,937
• Newport News city, VA — $2,507
• Stafford County, VA — $3,301
• Alexandria city, VA — $6,879

Frequently asked questions