Town Terra Alta is a town in West Virginia, in Preston County.
The median owner-occupied home in Terra Alta had a real-estate tax bill of $620 (± $60) a year, compared with $835 in West Virginia and $2,969 nationwide. The median home value was $95,900 (± $16,672), compared with $155,600 in West Virginia and $303,400 nationwide.
| Measure | Terra Alta | West Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,992 ± 462 | 1,784,462 | 332,387,540 |
| Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) | $620 ± $60 | $835 ± $9 | $2,969 ± $3 |
| Median home value | $95,900 ± $16,672 | $155,600 ± $1,679 | $303,400 ± $362 |
| Median household income | $50,035 ± $18,332rough guide only: the margin of error is 37% of the estimate | $57,917 ± $607 | $78,538 ± $176 |
| Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) | 0.65% ± 0.13 points | 0.54% ± 0.01 points | 0.98% ± under 0.01 points |
| Homes lived in by their owners | 71.7% ± 9.1 points | 74.3% ± 0.4 points | 65.0% ± 0.3 points |
| Owner households headed by someone 65 or older | 25.1% ± 7.1 pointsrough guide only: the margin of error is 28% of the estimate | 37.8% ± 0.3 points | 32.6% ± 0.2 points |
| Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs | Too imprecise to report (estimate 16.6%, margin of error ± 10.5 points) | 14.3% ± 0.4 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 West Virginia
How it works. State Auditor/deputy commissioner delinquent-land sale/deed process under current Article 3, following consolidation of prior county/deputy land-commissioner procedures
Excess sale money. §11A-3-65 provides former owner/heirs/assigns a claim to surplus over taxes, interest and costs for qualifying sales if circuit-court claim is filed within 2 years after confirmation of sale. Unclaimed surplus is paid to State Auditor for General School Fund under statute
These rules are set by West Virginia, not by Terra Alta, so this section is the same for every place in the state. Last verified 2026-09-25. See the full West Virginia entry with statute links.