Michigan · County property tax · ACS 2024
Alpena County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Alpena County pays $1,639 a year, an effective rate of 1.06%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,639
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.06%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -18%
- vs U.S. average
- #48 of 83
- rank in MI
The verdict
Homeowners in Alpena County pay a median $1,639 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.06%, more affordable than 31% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,639
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.06%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2165 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -18%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($153,900). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Michigan. Population: 28,880. Owner-occupied homes: 10,415.
The median annual property tax in Alpena County is $1,639, which is 44% lower than the Michigan state average and 18% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.06% on a median home value of $153,900. Property taxes represent 3.0% of the median household income in this county.
Alpena County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Alpena County's 1.06% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 31%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Michigan median
Homeowners in Alpena County pay a median annual property tax of $1,639, notably lower than the national median and well below the Michigan state median. On a $153,900 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.06% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Michigan counties by effective rate
Alpena County ranks #48 of 83 counties in Michigan by effective rate (42% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Alpena County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.0% of the $53,950 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Alpena County as reported to the Census Bureau; your parcel can differ. Not tax, legal, or financial advice: check the county assessor or a qualified professional before decisions that depend on these numbers.
A falling rate took the edge off
Alpena County's effective rate fell 14.9% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 46.7%, leaving the median bill 24.9% higher at $1,639. That rate move is larger than the one in 63% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
Effective rate is the published median bill divided by the published median home value, so the two multiply back to the bill exactly; the rate's movement here is derived from those two figures rather than read from the rounded published rate. Both are ACS 5-year survey estimates for the median owner-occupied household, compared across non-overlapping releases. They describe what the Census published, not a local policy, assessment, or exemption change.
How to read this county's bill
Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $1,312 to $1,639, a gain of 25%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 3,472 of 10,415 owner-occupied homes (33.3%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
This county earns in the bottom quarter of the country and taxes above the median rate, so the median bill absorbs 3.0% of median household income. The rate alone understates that; it is the pairing that matters.
The share above is the median annual bill divided by median household income, a ratio of two county-level medians rather than a household-by-household figure.
What Alpena County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Alpena County homeowners, 3,472 of 10,415 owner-occupied homes (33.3%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 10.6% (1,105)
- $800 to $1,499 33.3% (3,472)
- $1,500 to $1,999 15.2% (1,583)
- $2,000 to $2,999 22.1% (2,297)
- $3,000 or more 15.2% (1,578)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
380 homes here (3.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Michigan handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Alpena County pay about the same bill, within a 3% gap either way.
Alpena County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Alpena County's effective rate is higher than 42% of the 83 counties in Michigan - ranking #48 of 83.
Where Alpena County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.06% more affordable than 31% of 3,135 U.S. counties
Show national distribution
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more U.S. counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024
What changed since 2020
The median bill in Alpena County moved from $1,312 in the 2020 release to $1,639 in 2024, a change of about 25%. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates compared across releases that share only one sample year, which is why this page never compares consecutive releases: those overlap in four years of the same households and move mostly on sampling.
Alpena County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Alpena County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.0% | - | - |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates. Tax-burden differences across rows reflect millage decisions, assessment-ratio practices, and the residential-vs-commercial mix of each tax base.
Alpena County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Michigan counties.
Alpena County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,639 +5.3% | 1.06% |
| 2023 | $1,556 +5.7% | 1.13% |
| 2022 | $1,472 +6.3% | 1.15% |
| 2021 | $1,385 +5.6% | 1.25% |
| 2020 | $1,312 | 1.25% |
Each row is a separate ACS 5-year release, and consecutive releases share four of their five survey years. The percentage beside each bill is therefore movement in the published estimate against the previous release, not a single year's tax change. The two releases largely describe the same households. For change over time, compare releases that do not overlap.
Alpena County: tax-to-income at 3.0%
Counties near Alpena County's effective rate
On effective rate, Alpena County sits nearest Norfolk County (MA), Allegany County (MD), Crawford County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Dearborn County (IN), Aiken County (SC), Habersham County (GA).
How peers are chosen
These are the nearest cross-state matches in the published Census data, not neighboring counties or recommendations. Peers are rebuilt with each data release; see the calculation method.
Similar effective rates
Similar published median-tax changes, 2020–2024
Alpena County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 300 of 14,330 returns from Alpena County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,527 - 27% of those reporters sat in the $100-200k AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Michigan
Alpena County rate FAQs
- How does Alpena County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Alpena County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.06% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Alpena County, Michigan?
- The median annual property tax in Alpena County is $1,639, an effective rate of 1.06% on a $153,900 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Alpena County?
- Alpena County, Michigan scores D (48/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-50). The score compares published county medians to U.S. percentiles, it is not a personal bill and not advice to buy, sell, appeal, or relocate.
- Are property taxes increasing in Alpena County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Alpena County jumped 24.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,312 to $1,639, a 4-year span. These are survey estimates covering five years each, so this compares the two releases furthest apart rather than consecutive ones, which overlap and would mostly measure the same households twice.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Alpena County?
- Property taxes in Alpena County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.0% of the $53,950 median household income.
What to do with Alpena County's PAR rate
Inside Michigan, Alpena County's $1,639 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Michigan overview →
Alpena County ranks #48 of 83 Michigan counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Michigan overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Alpena County's PAR effective rate, then a disjoint out-of-state bill set so the two neighborhoods stay distinct.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.06%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,639/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Alpena County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Alpena County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Waynesboro city, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Alpena County at $1,639/yr; rate 0.67% vs Alpena County 1.06%.
Graham County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,641/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.83% vs Alpena County 1.06%.
Neosho County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,637/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.47% vs Alpena County 1.06%.
Richland County, SC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,637/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.67% vs Alpena County 1.06%.
Michigan county set
State ACS overview for every published Michigan county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Alpena County stamps PAR · MID - how assessed value and millage become the ACS median bill.
Data vintage and method
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Property tax data reflects median amounts paid by homeowners. Effective rates are calculated as median tax divided by median home value.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, county median real-estate taxes · 2024 Alpena County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.