Property tax in Newport County, Rhode Island

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Newport County, Rhode Island is $5,414 a year, which is about 0.89% of the county's median home value of $609,700. That effective rate is lower 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 Newport County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Newport County's average effective rate of 0.89% (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: $5,426 / year

Property tax in Newport County at a glance

Newport County, Rhode Island property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$5,414
Median home value	$609,700
Effective tax rate	0.89%
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 Newport County compare in Rhode Island?

Among Rhode Island's 5 counties, Newport County has the 5th highest effective property-tax rate. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 1379th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Rhode Island county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Newport County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Newport County's 25,022 owner-occupied homes, 86.4% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 92.6% pay at least $2,000, and 1.4% pay under $800. Another 1.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Newport County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	340	1.4%
$800 to $1,499	446	1.8%
$1,500 to $1,999	617	2.5%
$2,000 to $2,999	1,542	6.2%
$3,000 or more	21,612	86.4%
No property tax paid	465	1.9%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $5,479 and owners without one pay $5,290. That is within 10% either way, so in Newport County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $5,414 is about 4.2% of the median income of Newport County homeowner households, $128,007 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 67.9% of Newport 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 Newport County?

Yes. The median bill went from $4,743 in 2015-2019 to $5,414 in 2020-2024, a 14.1% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 57.2%, from $387,900 to $609,700. 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 Newport County

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

Newport 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	1.29%	$6,648	$513,800
Bristol County, MA	1.07%	$4,807	$451,200
Washington County, RI	1%	$5,102	$510,800
Newport County, RI (this county)	0.89%	$5,414	$609,700

How is a home assessed in Newport County?

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

Is there a homestead exemption in Newport 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 Newport County. Rhode Island's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Newport 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. Newport County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Newport 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; Newport 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 Newport 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.