City Morganton is a city in North Carolina, in Burke County.
The median owner-occupied home in Morganton had a real-estate tax bill of $1,663 (± $158) a year, compared with $1,815 in North Carolina and $2,969 nationwide. The median home value was $208,300 (± $21,237), compared with $259,400 in North Carolina and $303,400 nationwide.
| Measure | Morganton | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,541 ± 51 | 10,584,340 | 332,387,540 |
| Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) | $1,663 ± $158 | $1,815 ± $9 | $2,969 ± $3 |
| Median home value | $208,300 ± $21,237 | $259,400 ± $931 | $303,400 ± $362 |
| Median household income | $49,434 ± $4,828 | $69,904 ± $346 | $78,538 ± $176 |
| Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) | 0.80% ± 0.11 points | 0.70% ± under 0.01 points | 0.98% ± under 0.01 points |
| Homes lived in by their owners | 51.8% ± 4.9 points | 66.4% ± 0.3 points | 65.0% ± 0.3 points |
| Owner households headed by someone 65 or older | 44.5% ± 4.9 points | 32.7% ± 0.1 points | 32.6% ± 0.2 points |
| Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs | 21.1% ± 6.2 pointsrough guide only: the margin of error is 29% of the estimate | 19.0% ± 0.2 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 North Carolina
How it works. Judicial tax-lien foreclosure under G.S.105-374 in nature of mortgage foreclosure; commissioner conducts court-ordered sale
Excess sale money. G.S.105-374 directs remaining balance after taxes, liens, costs and allowed distributions according to court directions; absent directions, surplus is paid into court for persons entitled. Disputed surplus is held until resolved under special proceeding
These rules are set by North Carolina, not by Morganton, so this section is the same for every place in the state. Last verified 2026-09-25. See the full North Carolina entry with statute links.