What Fairfax County property tax looks like
Among the 30 counties covered here, Fairfax County has the 14th highest effective rate and the 2nd highest median bill. Every $100,000 of value carries about $1,011 of tax a year at this rate.
On a $400,000 purchase that comes to roughly $4,044 a year, or $337 a month. Priced at the Virginia average rate instead, the same home would cost $90 a month less in tax.
Fairfax County sets one countywide real estate rate per $100 of assessed value each spring and reassesses every property annually as of January 1; towns such as Vienna and Herndon add levies of their own.
Parcel-level values and tax history are published by the Fairfax County Real Estate Taxes.
Example monthly payment at the median home value
Borrowing $559,760 against a $699,700 Fairfax County home (20% down, 6.5% for 30 years, illustrative rather than quoted) works out as follows.
| Component | Per month |
|---|---|
| Principal and interest | $3,538 |
| Property tax | $590 |
| Homeowners insurance | $150 |
| Mortgage insurance (PMI) | $0 |
| Total | $4,278 |
Property tax is 13.8% of the $4,278 total, so a lender escrowing it would set aside about $590 each month toward the Fairfax County bill.
How reliable this figure is
For Fairfax County the Census Bureau reports a 90% margin of error of ±$49 on the $7,072 median tax and ±$3,872 on the $699,700 median value, so the 1.011% rate is a county-wide average rather than the rate on any one bill.
These medians describe today's owners, not today's buyers. How Virginia values and caps a home, including what resets on sale, is set out on the Virginia page.
Counties with a similar rate
Frequently asked questions
What is the property tax rate in Fairfax County, VA?
The effective rate is 1.011%, which is the median real estate tax paid ($7,072) divided by the median home value ($699,700) in the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 estimates.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Fairfax County?
At this county's effective rate the figure is about $4,044 a year, or $337 a month. That is $90 a month more than the Virginia average rate of 0.74% would give on the same price.
How much of a Fairfax County monthly mortgage payment is property tax?
On a $699,700 home with 20% down at 6.5% over 30 years, property tax is about $590 of a $4,278 total monthly payment, or 13.8%.
Is property tax in Fairfax County high compared with the rest of Virginia?
Fairfax County's 1.011% is 0.27 percentage points above the 0.74% Virginia average, and its $7,072 median bill ranks 2nd of the 30 counties covered here, with the rate ranking 14th.
Source and method
Census American Community Survey, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, released December 2024. For Fairfax County: B25103 median tax $7,072, B25077 median value $699,700, B25003 282,039 owner-occupied homes. Formulas are on the methodology page; every result is an estimate, not a quote or tax advice.