Census-designated place Orleans is a census-designated place in Massachusetts, in Barnstable 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 Orleans had a real-estate tax bill of $2,945 (± $587) a year, compared with $5,813 in Massachusetts and $2,969 nationwide. The median home value was $542,500 (± $117,601), compared with $525,800 in Massachusetts and $303,400 nationwide.
| Measure | Orleans | Massachusetts | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,618 ± 306 | 6,992,395 | 332,387,540 |
| Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) | $2,945 ± $587 | $5,813 ± $18 | $2,969 ± $3 |
| Median home value | $542,500 ± $117,601 | $525,800 ± $2,244 | $303,400 ± $362 |
| Median household income | $76,768 ± $21,499rough guide only: the margin of error is 28% of the estimate | $101,341 ± $539 | $78,538 ± $176 |
| Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) | 0.54% ± 0.16 pointsrough guide only: the margin of error is 29% of the estimate | 1.11% ± 0.01 points | 0.98% ± under 0.01 points |
| Homes lived in by their owners | 66.2% ± 11.4 points | 62.6% ± 0.3 points | 65.0% ± 0.3 points |
| Owner households headed by someone 65 or older | 67.7% ± 16.7 points | 31.9% ± 0.2 points | 32.6% ± 0.2 points |
| Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs | 34.6% ± 14.8 pointsrough guide only: the margin of error is 43% of the estimate | 26.3% ± 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 Massachusetts
How it works. Municipal tax taking or tax-title sale/assignment followed by statewide Land Court foreclosure of right of redemption
Excess sale money. Effective 2024-11-01 Massachusetts law expressly protects excess equity after final foreclosure. G.L. c.60 §64A requires judgment holder to sell or appraise/retain and account for excess equity; qualifying former owners/interests can claim it. Certain 2021-05-25 through 2024-10-31 foreclosures also have retroactive claim rights
These rules are set by Massachusetts, not by Orleans, so this section is the same for every place in the state. Last verified 2026-09-25. See the full Massachusetts entry with statute links.