Census-designated place La Vale is a census-designated place in Maryland, in Allegany County. A census-designated place is an unincorporated community that the Census Bureau defines for statistics; it has no city government of its own.
The median owner-occupied home in La Vale had a real-estate tax bill of $1,889 (± $105) a year, compared with $3,989 in Maryland and $2,969 nationwide. The median home value was $171,300 (± $9,111), compared with $397,700 in Maryland and $303,400 nationwide.
| Measure | La Vale | Maryland | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,388 ± 480 | 6,170,738 | 332,387,540 |
| Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) | $1,889 ± $105 | $3,989 ± $18 | $2,969 ± $3 |
| Median home value | $171,300 ± $9,111 | $397,700 ± $1,433 | $303,400 ± $362 |
| Median household income | $77,634 ± $9,005 | $101,652 ± $518 | $78,538 ± $176 |
| Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) | 1.10% ± 0.08 points | 1.00% ± 0.01 points | 0.98% ± under 0.01 points |
| Homes lived in by their owners | 85.6% ± 4.5 points | 67.5% ± 0.3 points | 65.0% ± 0.3 points |
| Owner households headed by someone 65 or older | 39.2% ± 6.5 points | 30.3% ± 0.2 points | 32.6% ± 0.2 points |
| Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs | 10.2% ± 3.6 pointsrough guide only: the margin of error is 35% of the estimate | 22.6% ± 0.3 points | 22.2% ± 0.1 points |
How to read these numbers
- These are estimates from a survey, not a count. The American Community Survey asks a sample of households. The ± figure is the Census Bureau’s margin of error: the true value is very likely within that range of the estimate. Small places have large margins.
- “Too imprecise to report” means the margin of error is at least half of the estimate, so printing the number would suggest accuracy that does not exist. A “rough guide only” note means the margin is a quarter to a half of the estimate.
- Property tax bill and home value are medians for owner-occupied homes. Half of the homes are above the figure and half below. A median bill is not the rate set by a city or town; the bill combines taxes levied by every local government that serves the home, such as the school district and county.
- “Calculated” rows are worked out by Untax the Roof from the Census figures above them. They compare two medians, so they describe the place, not a particular household.
- Missing is not zero. Where the Census Bureau publishes no figure, this page says so.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2019–2023: tables B25103 (real estate taxes), B25077 (home value), B19013 (household income), B01003 (population), B25003 (owners and renters), B25007 (age of householder), B25091 (housing costs as a share of income); see the Census ACS data page.
If property taxes go unpaid in Maryland
How it works. County/Baltimore City tax-lien certificate sale followed by Circuit Court action to foreclose right of redemption
Excess sale money. After foreclosure and payment of the balance, Tax-Property §14-818 requires any amount above taxes, interest, penalties, and costs of sale to be paid to the person entitled to it; each county must provide a claim process, and the collector must notify the prior owner within 90 days after deed delivery. §14-819 governs unknown/unlocated claimants, 3-year special-fund holding, court-ordered forfeiture, and a later 7-year repayment window.
These rules are set by Maryland, not by La Vale, so this section is the same for every place in the state. Last verified 2026-09-25. See the full Maryland entry with statute links.