Census-designated place Penhook is a census-designated place in Virginia, in Franklin 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 Penhook had a real-estate tax bill of $2,327 (± $906) a year, compared with $2,686 in Virginia and $2,969 nationwide. The median home value was $476,500 (± $168,535), compared with $360,700 in Virginia and $303,400 nationwide.
| Measure | Penhook | Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,253 ± 432 | 8,657,499 | 332,387,540 |
| Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) | $2,327 ± $906rough guide only: the margin of error is 39% of the estimate | $2,686 ± $12 | $2,969 ± $3 |
| Median home value | $476,500 ± $168,535rough guide only: the margin of error is 35% of the estimate | $360,700 ± $1,182 | $303,400 ± $362 |
| Median household income | $99,176 ± $25,062rough guide only: the margin of error is 25% of the estimate | $90,974 ± $485 | $78,538 ± $176 |
| Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) | Too imprecise to report (estimate 0.49%, margin of error ± 0.26 points) | 0.74% ± under 0.01 points | 0.98% ± under 0.01 points |
| Homes lived in by their owners | 85.5% ± 13.9 points | 67.2% ± 0.3 points | 65.0% ± 0.3 points |
| Owner households headed by someone 65 or older | 33.4% ± 9.1 pointsrough guide only: the margin of error is 27% of the estimate | 31.5% ± 0.1 points | 32.6% ± 0.2 points |
| Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs | Too imprecise to report (estimate 20.1%, margin of error ± 18.6 points) | 20.2% ± 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 Virginia
How it works. Local circuit-court judicial sale of delinquent real estate under Article 4, with separate nonjudicial minimal-value route under 58.1-3975
Excess sale money. 58.1-3967 provides surplus after taxes, penalties, interest, attorney fees, costs and liens to former owner/heirs/devisees/successors/assigns. Claim generally must be made within 2 years after confirmation; after transfer to locality, governing body may later grant relief by ordinance
These rules are set by Virginia, not by Penhook, so this section is the same for every place in the state. Last verified 2026-09-25. See the full Virginia entry with statute links.