Taxes in Apex
Apex offers one of this dataset's better-sourced property tax pictures: Wake County's own FY2025-26 rate and the Town of Apex's own FY2025-26 municipal rate are both fixed, named-source figures that combine to a sourced base rate -- though a separate aggregator's county-only figure disagrees, and Apex's Wake/Chatham county-line position adds a real confirmation step. Beyond property tax, residents face North Carolina's flat state income tax and standard state sales tax.
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Learn moreWake County's own rate, and a disclosed disagreement with a separate aggregator
Wake County set its property tax rate at 51.71 cents per $100 of assessed valuation for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, a 0.36-cent increase from the prior year, per Wake County's own government tax administration page. A separate aggregator (SmartAsset) instead cites 0.75% for Wake County -- a real, disclosed disagreement between the county's own primary-source figure and a secondary aggregator's figure, consistent with the same unresolved pattern flagged for Wake County in this dataset's other North Carolina Triangle entries.
The Town of Apex's own municipal rate
The Town of Apex's FY2025-26 municipal property tax rate is 35.6 cents per $100 of assessed value, adopted unanimously by Apex Town Council at its May 2025 budget meeting, per the Town's own official reporting. Combined with Wake County's own 51.71-cent rate, that yields a sourced base combined rate of 87.31 cents per $100 (0.8731%) for a Wake County-side Apex property -- before any special district. A June 2026 WRAL report also noted Apex was weighing a further property tax increase for FY2026-27 to fund public safety and utility expansion, not yet reflected in the FY2025-26 figures above.
Confirm Wake vs. Chatham County for certainty
Because a portion of Apex extends into Chatham County, a specific address's actual combined rate depends on confirming which county it sits in -- Chatham County sets its own separate rate, not confirmed with a precise current figure this session and disclosed here as a gap rather than assumed to match Wake County's rate.
North Carolina's flat state income tax and standard sales tax
North Carolina levies a flat state personal income tax of 4.25% for the 2025 tax year (per NCDOR), with a further scheduled reduction toward 3.99% underway in future years -- a real structural difference from no-income-tax states like Texas or Florida covered elsewhere in this dataset. The combined state and Wake County sales tax rate is 7.25% (4.75% state + 2% Wake County + 0.5% Wake County transit tax), per NCDOR's published county rate schedule.
No special North Carolina homestead-style appraisal cap for general homeowners
Unlike Texas's homestead exemption and appraisal-value cap, North Carolina does not offer a general homestead exemption to all homeowners; it instead offers a targeted Homestead Exclusion program for qualifying elderly (65+) or permanently disabled homeowners meeting income limits, administered at the county level -- confirm eligibility and current income thresholds directly with Wake or Chatham County tax administration rather than assuming a blanket exemption applies.
Key takeaways
- Wake County's own FY2025-26 property tax rate is 51.71 cents per $100 of assessed value (Wake County government) -- a separate aggregator (SmartAsset) instead cites 0.75%, a real, disclosed disagreement between a primary and secondary source.
- The Town of Apex's own FY2025-26 municipal rate is 35.6 cents per $100 (Town of Apex), combining with the county rate to a sourced base combined rate of 87.31 cents per $100 (0.8731%) for Wake County-side Apex properties, before any special district.
- Apex extends into Chatham County for a portion of the town -- confirm which county a specific address sits in, since Chatham sets its own separate rate not independently confirmed this session.
- North Carolina's flat state income tax is 4.25% for 2025 (trending toward 3.99%); combined state + Wake County sales tax is 7.25%.
- North Carolina has no general homestead exemption for all homeowners (unlike Texas) -- only a targeted elderly/disabled Homestead Exclusion with income limits, administered by the county.
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