Property tax by ZIP code in West Virginia
Enter a West Virginia ZIP and see the median property tax paid, median home value, and effective tax rate from the 2020–2024 American Community Survey — plus how it compares to the West Virginia state median.
Look up a West Virginia ZIP code
Enter a 5-digit West Virginia ZIP code above to see its property tax data.
ZIP doesn't have ACS data — typically because it's a PO-box-only ZIP, a single-business ZIP, or a small area where the Census suppresses small-sample estimates. Try a nearby ZIP.
ZIP isn't a West Virginia ZIP code. This page covers West Virginia only. Other states are launching state by state — check back, or use our state-by-state median page in the meantime.
West Virginia's effective property-tax rate is among the lowest in the country — around 0.53% of market value statewide. Two things drive that: the state taxes only 60% of a property's true and actual value, not the full amount, and home values are low to begin with. Owner-occupied homes also sit in the most lightly taxed class and, since 2024, qualify for new refundable state credits.
Enter a 5-digit West Virginia ZIP to see its median property tax, median home value, and effective rate from the US Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 vintage, plus how it compares to the West Virginia state and US national medians. The explainer below covers the 60% assessment ratio, the four property classes, the three-year valuation cycle, the Homestead Exemption for seniors and disabled owners, and the HB 2526 refundable credits.
How West Virginia property tax works
West Virginia assesses all property annually as of July 1 at 60% of its true and actual (market) value, under WV Code §11-3-1 — so only six dollars of every ten in market value ever reaches the tax rolls. The state then sorts property into four classes: Class I (intangible and certain agricultural personal property, currently taxed at nothing), Class II (owner-occupied homes and owner- or tenant-farmed land, which carries the lowest levy rates), and Classes III and IV (all other property outside and inside a municipality, which carry the highest rates). A typical homeowner sits in Class II, the most lightly taxed category.
Counties work on a three-year valuation cycle under WV Code §11-1C-1, with annual adjustments where assessors find a change in value — the goal being to keep every parcel at 60% of current fair market value each year. Homeowner relief centers on the Homestead Exemption (WV Code §11-6B-3), which exempts the first $20,000 of assessed value for owners who are 65 or older or permanently and totally disabled and have lived in the state for two consecutive years. Low-income seniors already in the Homestead program can also claim the refundable Senior Citizens Tax Credit on the state income-tax return.
The biggest recent change is the Property Tax Adjustment Act (HB 2526, 2023), effective for tax year 2024. It created two refundable income-tax credits: the Motor Vehicle Property Tax Adjustment Credit, which refunds the ad valorem tax paid on personal vehicles, and the Disabled Veteran Real Property Tax Credit, which refunds residential property tax for veterans rated at least 90% service-connected disabled. These credits are enacted and in effect — not proposals. (A separate 2022 ballot measure, Amendment 2, which would have let the Legislature scrap several personal-property taxes, failed at the polls and is not law.)
Why your actual bill differs
The numbers above describe a typical homeowner in this ZIP — not your specific bill. A few things move bills away from the median:
- Property class. An owner-occupied home (Class II) is taxed at far lower levy rates than rental, commercial, or vacant property (Classes III and IV), so two similar buildings used differently can owe very different amounts.
- Overlapping levies. Your bill stacks county, municipal, school, and state levies, so a home inside city limits can owe more than an otherwise identical home in the unincorporated county.
- Exemptions and credits. The $20,000 Homestead Exemption for seniors and disabled owners, the refundable Motor Vehicle and Disabled Veteran credits from HB 2526, and the Senior Citizens Tax Credit each pull a qualifying owner's bill below the median.
West Virginia has no single statewide bill lookup — your county Sheriff's tax office bills and collects the tax. Kanawha County's Sheriff's tax office in Charleston is a working example; for other counties, search your county Sheriff's tax office online.
Methodology
Data on this page comes from the US Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 vintage (released January 29, 2026), at the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level. After filtering ZCTAs the Census suppresses for privacy or small-sample reasons, this page covers 516 West Virginia ZIPs.
Topcoding in West Virginia. The Census caps median property tax at $10,000, reporting anything higher as $10,001. West Virginia's low home values and 60% assessment ratio keep essentially every ZIP far below the cap, so the figures here are true medians.
See the full methodology page for source details (Census table IDs, the comparison-median rule, calculator formulas), how we handle topcoding across every state, and the refresh cadence.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the median tax in my ZIP different from what I pay?
Median is the middle of the distribution, not your bill. West Virginia taxes only 60% of market value, your property's class sets the levy rate, and your bill stacks several overlapping levies. The Homestead Exemption and the HB 2526 and Senior Citizens credits move qualifying owners further from the median.
Why might my ZIP show $10,001 as the median tax?
That's the Census topcode for privacy, but it's essentially absent in West Virginia — low home values and the 60% assessment ratio keep medians far under the $10,000 cap, so the figures here are true medians.
Where do I find my actual West Virginia property tax bill?
Through your county Sheriff's tax office, which bills and collects the tax. West Virginia has no statewide portal; each county runs its own. Kanawha County's Sheriff's tax office in Charleston is a working example.
When does West Virginia data update on this page?
Annually, when the Census Bureau releases a new ACS 5-year vintage. The 2020–2024 vintage released January 29, 2026. The next vintage (2021–2025) typically follows the next year, though the Census has not yet posted its release date.
Why don't you cover other states yet?
State-by-state rollout. Each state needs its own context section (assessment method, exemptions, local taxing structure) to be genuinely useful. High-search-volume states are going live first.