Virginia Property Tax Rates by County
Real estate tax rates vary significantly across Virginia localities. Among the 27 jurisdictions currently on CountyTaxTools, property tax rates range from $0.480 per $100 (Frederick County) to $1.230 per $100 (Norfolk and Portsmouth) - nearly a 2.6x difference. All rates from the Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey (TY2025) or confirmed official county sources.
Key Takeaways
- Rates range from $0.480 to $1.230 per $100 of assessed value - a $750/year difference on a $100,000 assessed home.
- Virginia has no statewide property tax. Each county and independent city sets its own rate independently.
- Shenandoah Valley and Historic Triangle jurisdictions have the lowest rates; Hampton Roads cities have the highest.
- Assessment practices vary. Most Virginia localities assess at 100% of fair market value, but reassessment cycles (annual vs. biennial vs. quadrennial) affect how quickly your assessed value tracks market changes.
- A low rate does not always mean a low bill. High-growth areas like Loudoun County have moderate rates but high assessed values.
Property Tax Rates - 27 Virginia Jurisdictions
Ranked lowest to highest among the 27 Virginia jurisdictions currently published on CountyTaxTools. The "Annual Tax" column shows what each rate produces on a $400,000 assessed home as a common reference point.
| # | Jurisdiction | Type | Rate per $100 | Tax on $400K Home | Sales Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frederick County | County | $0.480 | $1,920 | 5.3% |
| 2 | Williamsburg | Independent City | $0.620 | $2,480 | 7.0% |
| 3 | Spotsylvania County | County | $0.734 | $2,936 | 5.3% |
| 4 | Fredericksburg | Independent City | $0.770 | $3,080 | 5.3% |
| 5 | York County | County | $0.780 | $3,120 | 7.0% |
| 6 | Winchester | Independent City | $0.795 | $3,180 | 5.3% |
| 7 | Loudoun County | County | $0.805 | $3,220 | 6.0% |
| 8 | Hanover County | County | $0.810 | $3,240 | 6.0% |
| 9 | Henrico County | County | $0.830 | $3,320 | 6.0% |
| 9 | James City County | County | $0.830 | $3,320 | 7.0% |
| 11 | Chesterfield County | County | $0.890 | $3,560 | 6.0% |
| 12 | Albemarle County | County | $0.895 | $3,580 | 5.3% |
| 13 | Prince William County | County | $0.906 | $3,624 | 6.0% |
| 14 | Stafford County | County | $0.924 | $3,696 | 5.3% |
| 15 | Virginia Beach | Independent City | $0.970 | $3,880 | 6.0% |
| 16 | Charlottesville | Independent City | $0.980 | $3,920 | 5.3% |
| 17 | Chesapeake | Independent City | $1.010 | $4,040 | 6.0% |
| 18 | Roanoke County | County | $1.030 | $4,120 | 5.3% |
| 19 | Arlington County | County | $1.053 | $4,212 | 6.0% |
| 20 | Suffolk | Independent City | $1.070 | $4,280 | 6.0% |
| 21 | Fairfax County | County | $1.1225 | $4,490 | 6.0% |
| 22 | Alexandria | Independent City | $1.135 | $4,540 | 6.0% |
| 23 | Hampton | Independent City | $1.150 | $4,600 | 6.0% |
| 24 | Newport News | Independent City | $1.180 | $4,720 | 6.0% |
| 25 | Richmond | Independent City | $1.200 | $4,800 | 6.0% |
| 26 | Norfolk | Independent City | $1.230 | $4,920 | 6.0% |
| 26 | Portsmouth | Independent City | $1.230 | $4,920 | 6.0% |
Rates from the Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey (TY2025). Fairfax County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County rates are from official FY2026 county budget documents. All rates per $100 of assessed value. Dollar amounts are rate-only estimates on a $400,000 assessed home before exemptions.
Estimate your actual bill: Use the Property Tax Calculator to enter your assessed value and see results for your specific jurisdiction.
Understanding the Spread
The gap between the lowest and highest rate on this page is $0.750 per $100 - meaning on a $400,000 home, the difference between Frederick County and Norfolk/Portsmouth is $3,000 per year in property tax from the rate alone. Within Northern Virginia, the spread is tighter: Loudoun County ($3,220/yr on $400K) to Fairfax County ($4,490/yr on $400K) is a $1,270 annual difference. In high-value Northern Virginia localities, typical assessments are well above $400,000, so actual dollar bills are substantially higher than this illustration.
A low rate does not always mean a low bill. Loudoun County has a moderate rate ($0.805) but among the highest property values in Virginia. The rate-only comparison above tells you how aggressively a locality taxes property value - not what your actual bill will be. For that, use your assessed value in the Property Tax Calculator.
What Is Being Compared
This table compares the real property tax rate as reported in the Virginia Department of Transportation's Local Tax Rates Survey for tax year 2025, supplemented by confirmed FY2026 rates from official county budget documents where available.
All rates are expressed as dollars per $100 of assessed value. Virginia localities generally assess real property at 100% of fair market value, though reassessment frequency varies by jurisdiction (annual, biennial, or quadrennial cycles).
What Is Not Directly Comparable
The rate alone does not determine your actual tax bill. Several factors make direct rate-to-rate comparisons incomplete:
- Assessed value vs. market value: In rapidly appreciating markets, your assessed value may lag behind or exceed what you would consider fair market value, depending on when your locality last reassessed.
- Reassessment cycles: Annual reassessment (Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria) keeps values current. Biennial or quadrennial cycles in other localities can create lags.
- Exemptions and deferrals: Many Virginia localities offer elderly/disabled exemptions, tax deferrals, or land-use assessment programs that reduce the effective bill below what the rate alone would suggest.
- Special district levies: Some jurisdictions add special district rates (transportation, stormwater, mosquito control) on top of the base property tax rate. Prince William County's combined rate including fire levy is $0.9805, for example.
- Home values vary widely: A $0.480 rate in Frederick County where homes are assessed lower produces a different bill than a $1.1225 rate in Fairfax County where property values are substantially higher.
Regional Patterns
Property tax rates in Virginia tend to cluster by region:
- Northern Virginia: High rates ($1.05-$1.14) paired with high property values. Net bills are among the highest in the state.
- Hampton Roads: Moderate to high rates ($0.97-$1.23) with moderate property values.
- Richmond Region: Mixed. Richmond City is high ($1.200) while surrounding Henrico ($0.830) and Chesterfield ($0.890) are moderate.
- Shenandoah Valley: Frederick County has the lowest rate on this list ($0.480). Winchester city is higher ($0.795) - a common pattern where independent cities carry higher rates than surrounding counties.
- Historic Triangle: Low property tax rates ($0.620-$0.830) but the highest sales tax in Virginia (7.0%).
Methodology
Property tax rates for most jurisdictions are from the Virginia Department of Transportation's Local Tax Rates Survey for tax year 2025, extracted from the official PDF published at vdot.virginia.gov. Rates for Fairfax County ($1.1225), Loudoun County ($0.805), and Prince William County ($0.906) are confirmed FY2026 rates from official county budget documents accessed in March-April 2026.
The "Sales Tax" column is included to show the full local tax picture - a low property tax locality with 7.0% sales tax (Historic Triangle) presents different tradeoffs than a high property tax locality with 5.3% sales tax.
Sources
- Virginia Department of Transportation - Local Tax Rates Survey (TY2025)
- Fairfax County - Department of Tax Administration - fairfaxcounty.gov/taxes/real-estate
- Loudoun County - Commissioner of the Revenue - loudoun.gov - Real Property
- Prince William County - Real Estate Assessments - pwcva.gov - Real Estate Assessments
All rates are subject to annual change. Verify current rates with your local commissioner of the revenue before making financial decisions.
Written by Munib Ur Rehman