Iowa Property Tax Calculator

Of the 99 Iowa counties with measured ACS 2024 data, 97 carry an effective rate above the 0.92% national average while 1 sit below it.

Worked example: A home at Iowa's median value of $208,000 pays roughly $2,891 a year at the 1.39% state average rate, but about $3,744 at Union County's 1.80% rate versus $1,810 at Lyon County's 0.87%.

Rates roughly double from Iowa's cheapest county (0.87%) to its most expensive (1.80%).

At the median, a Iowa homeowner's $2,897 annual bill works out to about $241 a month on top of mortgage, insurance, and utilities, one reason the effective rate matters as much as the sticker price when comparing locations.

Reading these numbers correctly matters. An effective rate is a measured outcome, not a posted tax rate: it captures what typical homeowners actually paid after exemptions, assessment ratios, and every overlapping levy settled out. That makes it the most comparable single figure across county lines, where statutory mill rates are defined against different assessment bases and cannot be compared directly. Two counties with identical posted rates can produce very different real bills, and the reverse is just as common. Lenders use a similar logic when they estimate escrow: a percentage of value, calibrated to the taxing jurisdiction. Treat the figures here the same way, as a calibrated starting point that tells you which jurisdictions are expensive relative to home value, and confirm the exact bill with the assessor before you commit.