Property tax in Essex County, Virginia
The median property tax bill in Essex County, Virginia is $1,348 a year, which is about 0.57% of the county's median home value of $238,100. That effective rate is lower than the typical Virginia county (0.6%) and lower 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 Essex County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Essex County's average effective rate of 0.57% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,357 / year
Property tax in Essex County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,348 |
| Median home value | $238,100 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.57% |
| Typical Virginia county rate | 0.6% |
| 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 Essex County compare in Virginia?
Among Virginia's 133 counties, Essex County has the 79th highest effective property-tax rate: 78 rank higher and 54 rank lower. That is near the middle for Virginia. Nationally, it ranks 2388th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Virginia county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Essex County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Essex County's 3,190 owner-occupied homes, 13.9% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 25.6% pay at least $2,000, and 23.2% pay under $800. Another 3.6% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 740 | 23.2% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 989 | 31% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 531 | 16.6% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 373 | 11.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 442 | 13.9% |
| No property tax paid | 115 | 3.6% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,537 and owners without one pay $1,120. 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 Essex County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,348 is about 2.2% of the median income of Essex County homeowner households, $62,121 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 71.7% of Essex 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 Essex County?
The survey cannot tell. The median bill was $1,414 in 2015-2019 and $1,348 in 2020-2024, but that $66 difference is inside the Census's own margin of error for a county this size, so it could be sampling noise rather than a real change.
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 Essex County
Essex County borders 7 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland County, VA | 0.6% | $1,628 | $269,600 |
| Essex County, VA (this county) | 0.57% | $1,348 | $238,100 |
| Richmond County, VA | 0.56% | $1,290 | $231,500 |
| King George County, VA | 0.53% | $2,254 | $428,300 |
| Caroline County, VA | 0.52% | $1,597 | $307,700 |
| King and Queen County, VA | 0.52% | $1,209 | $231,600 |
| Middlesex County, VA | 0.5% | $1,778 | $352,200 |
| Lancaster County, VA | 0.48% | $1,558 | $327,000 |
How is a home assessed in Essex County?
Virginia assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Essex County included. How Virginia assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Essex County?
No. Virginia has no general homestead exemption; relief is limited to the elderly and disabled, disabled veterans, and surviving spouses of service members and first responders killed in the line of duty. That is the Virginia rule, and it applies in Essex County. Virginia's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Essex County?
Set locally. Each county, city or town bills on its own schedule, commonly semiannually, and sets its own due dates and late penalties. Virginia has no statewide due date.
That is the Virginia rule. Essex County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Essex County property assessment
You contest the assessed value with the Local Board of Equalization, then circuit court. That is the Virginia rule; Essex County sets the exact dates and forms. The Virginia appeal process step by step.
Virginia rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Virginia page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Essex County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Virginia income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Virginia actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Essex County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Essex County, Virginia: 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.