Property tax in Bristol County, Rhode Island

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Bristol County, Rhode Island is $6,648 a year, which is about 1.29% of the county's median home value of $513,800. That effective rate is higher than the typical Rhode Island county (1.25%) 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 Bristol County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Bristol County's average effective rate of 1.29% (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: $6,628 / year

Property tax in Bristol County at a glance

Bristol County, Rhode Island property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$6,648
Median home value	$513,800
Effective tax rate	1.29%
Typical Rhode Island county rate	1.25%
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 Bristol County compare in Rhode Island?

Among Rhode Island's 5 counties, Bristol County has the 2nd highest effective property-tax rate: 1 rank higher and 3 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Rhode Island. Nationally, it ranks 612th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Rhode Island county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Bristol County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Bristol County's 14,439 owner-occupied homes, 91.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 95.4% pay at least $2,000, and 0.9% pay under $800. Another 1.3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Bristol County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	123	0.9%
$800 to $1,499	310	2.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	44	0.3%
$2,000 to $2,999	564	3.9%
$3,000 or more	13,205	91.5%
No property tax paid	193	1.3%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $6,775 and owners without one pay $6,307. That is within 10% either way, so in Bristol County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $6,648 is about 5% of the median income of Bristol County homeowner households, $133,770 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 71.8% of Bristol 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 Bristol County?

Yes. The median bill went from $5,697 in 2015-2019 to $6,648 in 2020-2024, a 16.7% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 43.5%, from $358,100 to $513,800. 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 Bristol County

Bristol County borders 4 counties, 1 of them across the state line.

Bristol County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Kent County, RI	1.35%	$4,957	$366,100
Bristol County, RI (this county)	1.29%	$6,648	$513,800
Providence County, RI	1.25%	$4,683	$373,600
Bristol County, MA	1.07%	$4,807	$451,200
Newport County, RI	0.89%	$5,414	$609,700

How is a home assessed in Bristol County?

Rhode Island assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Bristol County included. How Rhode Island assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Bristol County?

Not statewide. Rhode Island homestead exemptions are written city by city, and some towns offer none; your local tax assessor has the answer. That is the Rhode Island rule, and it applies in Bristol County. Rhode Island's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Bristol County?

State law requires every Rhode Island city and town to offer the option of paying in four equal quarterly installments, free of interest or penalty as long as each is paid on time. The actual due dates are not set statewide: each community fixes them in the resolution that orders the tax levy, usually tied to a fiscal year beginning July 1. A town may require a bill of $100 or less to be paid in one payment, and if you miss an installment it can charge interest or call the whole remaining balance due at once.

Rhode Island splits the bill into 4 installments. That is the Rhode Island rule. Bristol County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Bristol County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the your local tax assessor, then the local tax board of review, then Rhode Island Superior Court. The filing deadline is typically on or before November 15, and no sooner than 90 days after the first tax payment is due. That is the Rhode Island rule; Bristol County sets the exact dates and forms. The Rhode Island appeal process step by step.

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

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Bristol County, Rhode Island: 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.