City Winston-Salem is a city in North Carolina, in Forsyth County.
The median owner-occupied home in Winston-Salem had a real-estate tax bill of $1,964 (± $63) a year, compared with $1,815 in North Carolina and $2,969 nationwide. The median home value was $208,200 (± $5,953), compared with $259,400 in North Carolina and $303,400 nationwide.
| Measure | Winston-Salem | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 250,887 ± 68 | 10,584,340 | 332,387,540 |
| Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) | $1,964 ± $63 | $1,815 ± $9 | $2,969 ± $3 |
| Median home value | $208,200 ± $5,953 | $259,400 ± $931 | $303,400 ± $362 |
| Median household income | $57,673 ± $1,780 | $69,904 ± $346 | $78,538 ± $176 |
| Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) | 0.94% ± 0.04 points | 0.70% ± under 0.01 points | 0.98% ± under 0.01 points |
| Homes lived in by their owners | 54.6% ± 1.2 points | 66.4% ± 0.3 points | 65.0% ± 0.3 points |
| Owner households headed by someone 65 or older | 32.9% ± 1.3 points | 32.7% ± 0.1 points | 32.6% ± 0.2 points |
| Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs | 20.2% ± 1.6 points | 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 Winston-Salem, 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.