Property tax in Penobscot County, Maine

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Penobscot County, Maine is $2,481 a year, which is about 1.16% of the county's median home value of $214,100. That effective rate is higher than the typical Maine county (1.04%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Penobscot County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Penobscot County's average effective rate of 1.16% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $2,484 / year

Property tax in Penobscot County at a glance

Penobscot County, Maine property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$2,481
Median home value	$214,100
Effective tax rate	1.16%
Typical Maine county rate	1.04%
National median county rate	0.81%

Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

How does Penobscot County compare in Maine?

Among Maine's 16 counties, Penobscot County has the 3rd highest effective property-tax rate: 2 rank higher and 13 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Maine. Nationally, it ranks 790th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Maine county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Penobscot County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Penobscot County's 46,010 owner-occupied homes, 36.4% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 59.3% pay at least $2,000, and 10.2% pay under $800. Another 3.5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Penobscot County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	4,708	10.2%
$800 to $1,499	7,159	15.6%
$1,500 to $1,999	5,265	11.4%
$2,000 to $2,999	10,536	22.9%
$3,000 or more	16,732	36.4%
No property tax paid	1,610	3.5%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,745 and owners without one pay $2,088. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.

How does the Penobscot County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $2,481 is about 3% of the median income of Penobscot County homeowner households, $81,825 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 70.5% of Penobscot County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.

Have property taxes gone up in Penobscot County?

Yes. The median bill went from $2,102 in 2015-2019 to $2,481 in 2020-2024, a 18% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 48%, from $144,700 to $214,100. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.

Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.

Property tax in counties next to Penobscot County

Penobscot County borders 6 counties.

Penobscot County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Penobscot County, ME (this county)	1.16%	$2,481	$214,100
Aroostook County, ME	1.12%	$1,672	$149,700
Somerset County, ME	1.08%	$1,798	$166,900
Waldo County, ME	1.04%	$2,684	$257,700
Washington County, ME	1.04%	$1,683	$161,800
Piscataquis County, ME	0.9%	$1,537	$170,200
Hancock County, ME	0.83%	$2,561	$310,400

How is a home assessed in Penobscot County?

Maine sets the assessment rules and Penobscot County applies them. How Maine assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Penobscot County?

Yes. Maine's homestead exemption removes up to $25,000 of just value from a permanent resident's home, adjusted by the town's certified ratio. Apply once with the town assessor by April 1. That is the Maine rule, and it applies in Penobscot County. Maine's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Penobscot County?

Maine sets no statewide due date and no statewide number of installments. Each municipality votes its own payment dates when it raises the tax, along with the dates interest starts and the taxes become delinquent, so a town may bill once a year, twice, or quarterly. Check your own tax bill or town office. Towns may also vote a discount of up to 10% for taxpayers who pay early.

That is the Maine rule. Penobscot County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Penobscot County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the your local assessors, then the municipal board of assessment review or the county commissioners, then Superior Court. The filing deadline is typically 185 days after the commitment date. That is the Maine rule; Penobscot County sets the exact dates and forms. The Maine appeal process step by step.

Maine rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Maine page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Penobscot County, Maine: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.