Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Counties Where Utilities Cost More Than Property Tax in North Carolina
Property tax gets all the attention, but in much of the country the electricity and water bill is the larger line item. These are the counties where the gap is widest, using state residential electricity prices from the EIA.
Where does yours land?
Every county in America is somewhere on this scale, including the one you live in.
North Carolina ranked
| # | County | Utilities over tax | Effective rate | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyde County | $159 | 0.630% | $119,600 |
| 2 | Bertie County | $158 | 0.797% | $95,800 |
| 3 | Robeson County | $155 | 0.902% | $88,600 |
| 4 | Graham County | $152 | 0.540% | $155,800 |
| 5 | Swain County | $152 | 0.402% | $209,800 |
| 6 | McDowell County | $149 | 0.518% | $168,300 |
| 7 | Duplin County | $146 | 0.740% | $123,200 |
| 8 | Jones County | $145 | 0.755% | $122,600 |
| 9 | Jackson County | $144 | 0.369% | $253,900 |
| 10 | Avery County | $141 | 0.414% | $233,200 |
| 11 | Macon County | $140 | 0.428% | $229,000 |
| 12 | Lenoir County | $140 | 0.884% | $111,400 |
| 13 | Greene County | $139 | 0.868% | $114,000 |
| 14 | Scotland County | $139 | 0.909% | $109,900 |
| 15 | Wilkes County | $138 | 0.621% | $161,400 |
| 16 | Mitchell County | $137 | 0.502% | $202,100 |
| 17 | Caswell County | $137 | 0.677% | $151,200 |
| 18 | Surry County | $136 | 0.621% | $166,400 |
| 19 | Cherokee County | $135 | 0.501% | $208,700 |
| 20 | Sampson County | $134 | 0.819% | $128,400 |
| 21 | Rutherford County | $134 | 0.582% | $180,800 |
| 22 | Montgomery County | $134 | 0.703% | $150,300 |
| 23 | Yancey County | $134 | 0.476% | $222,300 |
| 24 | Warren County | $134 | 0.849% | $124,700 |
| 25 | Hertford County | $132 | 0.975% | $111,100 |
| 26 | Caldwell County | $129 | 0.639% | $174,000 |
| 27 | Anson County | $129 | 0.933% | $119,300 |
| 28 | Columbus County | $129 | 0.873% | $128,300 |
| 29 | Richmond County | $128 | 0.929% | $120,800 |
| 30 | Ashe County | $127 | 0.512% | $221,900 |
| 31 | Bladen County | $127 | 0.904% | $125,800 |
| 32 | Stokes County | $125 | 0.620% | $186,800 |
| 33 | Halifax County | $125 | 1.135% | $102,500 |
| 34 | Martin County | $124 | 1.070% | $109,900 |
| 35 | Vance County | $124 | 0.806% | $146,300 |
| 36 | Clay County | $123 | 0.451% | $263,300 |
| 37 | Burke County | $123 | 0.699% | $170,500 |
| 38 | Alexander County | $122 | 0.631% | $190,000 |
| 39 | Washington County | $122 | 1.123% | $107,000 |
| 40 | Alleghany County | $122 | 0.604% | $199,000 |
| 41 | Yadkin County | $121 | 0.686% | $176,400 |
| 42 | Wayne County | $121 | 0.744% | $162,700 |
| 43 | Rockingham County | $119 | 0.788% | $156,000 |
| 44 | Northampton County | $119 | 1.205% | $102,200 |
| 45 | Tyrrell County | $119 | 0.891% | $138,400 |
| 46 | Randolph County | $119 | 0.720% | $171,600 |
| 47 | Cleveland County | $119 | 0.688% | $180,200 |
| 48 | Pamlico County | $117 | 0.599% | $209,800 |
| 49 | Davidson County | $117 | 0.631% | $200,100 |
| 50 | Gates County | $116 | 0.777% | $163,900 |
| 51 | Beaufort County | $115 | 0.705% | $181,200 |
| 52 | Edgecombe County | $115 | 1.098% | $116,800 |
| 53 | Person County | $115 | 0.668% | $192,800 |
| 54 | Madison County | $113 | 0.496% | $263,500 |
| 55 | Perquimans County | $112 | 0.622% | $211,600 |
| 56 | Nash County | $112 | 0.771% | $171,100 |
| 57 | Catawba County | $112 | 0.605% | $218,100 |
| 58 | Stanly County | $111 | 0.622% | $214,300 |
| 59 | Watauga County | $111 | 0.415% | $321,500 |
| 60 | Hoke County | $109 | 0.692% | $196,000 |
| 61 | Carteret County | $108 | 0.450% | $304,200 |
| 62 | Craven County | $108 | 0.665% | $206,200 |
| 63 | Chowan County | $105 | 0.686% | $204,400 |
| 64 | Rowan County | $104 | 0.653% | $216,100 |
| 65 | Wilson County | $103 | 0.831% | $171,800 |
| 66 | Onslow County | $103 | 0.652% | $219,500 |
| 67 | Alamance County | $102 | 0.651% | $221,200 |
| 68 | Haywood County | $94 | 0.601% | $254,900 |
| 69 | Transylvania County | $94 | 0.458% | $336,100 |
| 70 | Pasquotank County | $93 | 0.693% | $223,300 |
| 71 | Davie County | $91 | 0.667% | $235,300 |
| 72 | Currituck County | $88 | 0.456% | $351,200 |
| 73 | Polk County | $86 | 0.579% | $281,100 |
| 74 | Harnett County | $85 | 0.744% | $220,700 |
| 75 | Pitt County | $84 | 0.849% | $194,300 |
| 76 | Lincoln County | $84 | 0.594% | $279,500 |
| 77 | Henderson County | $83 | 0.525% | $317,800 |
| 78 | Granville County | $81 | 0.719% | $235,700 |
| 79 | Lee County | $80 | 0.798% | $213,800 |
| 80 | Franklin County | $78 | 0.719% | $240,900 |
| 81 | Moore County | $73 | 0.566% | $315,300 |
| 82 | Camden County | $73 | 0.616% | $289,800 |
| 83 | Brunswick County | $73 | 0.568% | $314,700 |
| 84 | Cumberland County | $70 | 0.992% | $183,700 |
| 85 | Johnston County | $68 | 0.688% | $267,600 |
| 86 | Iredell County | $68 | 0.631% | $292,300 |
| 87 | Pender County | $67 | 0.696% | $267,100 |
| 88 | Gaston County | $66 | 0.797% | $235,000 |
| 89 | Forsyth County | $61 | 0.849% | $227,800 |
| 90 | Guilford County | $49 | 0.883% | $234,900 |
| 91 | New Hanover County | $49 | 0.587% | $353,700 |
| 92 | Buncombe County | $42 | 0.601% | $360,000 |
| 93 | Dare County | $35 | 0.528% | $425,400 |
| 94 | Union County | $30 | 0.614% | $374,400 |
| 95 | Cabarrus County | $20 | 0.762% | $318,600 |
| 96 | Chatham County | $-1 | 0.671% | $397,800 |
| 97 | Mecklenburg County | $-10 | 0.749% | $371,200 |
| 98 | Durham County | $-24 | 0.839% | $351,700 |
| 99 | Wake County | $-30 | 0.715% | $422,800 |
| 100 | Orange County | $-120 | 0.958% | $428,500 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Counties Where Utilities Cost More Than Property Tax across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in North Carolina