Kansas · County property tax · ACS 2024
Barber County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Barber County pays $1,648 a year, an effective rate of 1.70%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,648
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.70%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- -17%
- vs U.S. average
- #28 of 105
- rank in KS
The verdict
Homeowners in Barber County pay a median $1,648 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.70%, more affordable than 6% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,648
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.70%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2948 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -17%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($97,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Barber County, KS
35/100
5 ACS dimensions · release 2024
Comparative score against U.S. county percentiles on Census ACS medians (effective rate, bill, income share, mortgage gap, home-value/income). Higher means more affordable on those published medians, not a recommendation to buy, sell, appeal, or move, and not your personal tax bill. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.
Median home value relative to Barber County's median income
Barber County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Median tax as a share of Barber County's median household income
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Barber County
Barber County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Barber County affordability profile (scored ACS dimensions)
Read the chart values
- Housing pressure: 100/100 (A+) · 1.57×
- Bill size: 49/100 (D) · $1,648/yr
- Income room: 44/100 (D) · 2.7%
- Mortgage premium: 17/100 (F) · +$746
- Rate relief: 5/100 (F) · 1.70%
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Kansas. Population: 4,069. Owner-occupied homes: 1,480.
The median annual property tax in Barber County is $1,648, which is 41% lower than the Kansas state average and 17% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.70% on a median home value of $97,000. Property taxes represent 2.7% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Barber County
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Barber County's 1.70% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 94% pay more.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Kansas median
Homeowners in Barber County pay a median annual property tax of $1,648, notably lower than the national median and well below the Kansas state median. On a $97,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.70% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Kansas counties by effective rate
Barber County ranks #28 of 105 counties in Kansas by effective rate (73% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Barber County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.7% of the $61,926 median household income.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Barber County as reported to the Census Bureau, your own bill can differ based on your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, special districts, and municipal overlays. Always consult your county assessor, tax collector, or a qualified professional before making decisions that depend on these numbers.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 6.6% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 73% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 30.4%, the median bill rose 21.8% to $1,648: the rate did comparatively little to offset the market.
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 $1,353 to $1,648, a gain of 22%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 382 of 1,480 owner-occupied homes (25.8%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 2.7% of median household income. A rate ranking places this county by the rate alone; the ratio above is the figure that accounts for what is earned here.
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 Barber County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Barber County homeowners, 382 of 1,480 owner-occupied homes (25.8%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 25.8% (382)
- $800 to $1,499 17.8% (263)
- $1,500 to $1,999 18.0% (266)
- $2,000 to $2,999 19.8% (293)
- $3,000 or more 16.4% (243)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
33 homes here (2.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Kansas handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Barber County pay more than double the bill of those without one (+61%), the widest kind of value gap this dataset tracks.
How Barber County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Barber County's effective rate is higher than 73% of the 105 counties in Kansas - ranking #28 of 105 for property tax burden.
Where Barber County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.70% more affordable than 6% 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
A high rate, a smaller bill
Barber County taxes property at 1.70%, about 32% above the Kansas average, yet its median bill of $1,648 lands roughly 41% below it. The effective rate is the bill divided by the home's value, so a county can only sit on opposite sides of the state average this way when its homes are worth materially less than the state norm. The rate is the policy; the bill is what the housing market does with it.
Barber County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Barber County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.7% | - | - |
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.
Think your Barber County property tax bill is too high?
On Barber County's published figures, a $97,000 median home carries a $1,648 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $165 a year at the same rate. Whether an appeal is worth filing depends on your own parcel. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to run your own numbers, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the procedure in Kansas.
Property Tax History
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,648 +6.9% | 1.70% |
| 2023 | $1,542 +12.7% | 1.66% |
| 2022 | $1,368 +0.3% | 1.64% |
| 2021 | $1,364 +0.8% | 1.79% |
| 2020 | $1,353 | 1.82% |
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.
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate far above the national average of 0.92% puts Barber County in the "Very Expensive" band for property tax burden.
How this score is calculated: a 1-10 scale derived mechanically from the ratio of this county's effective rate to the national average effective rate (0.92%) - a ratio at or below 0.5× scores 10, a ratio at or above 2.0× scores 1, with a linear scale between. It is a factual comparison of Census figures only, not a recommendation, quality rating, or endorsement of Barber County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Barber County sits nearest Jefferson County (IL), Douglas County (IL), Otsego County (NY).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Campbell County (VA), Wayne County (IA), Howell County (MO).
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
What tax filers report in Barber County
Of the 2,000 federal returns filed from Barber County in 2022, 70 (3.5% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $2,871 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 57% of the county's reporting returns.
Two things this does not say. The amount is what filers reported, recorded before the $10,000 cap on combined state and local tax deductions applies, so it is not the amount deducted. And the share is of everyone who files a return, not of homeowners: most filers now take the standard deduction, so a minority itemise at all. Source: IRS Statistics of Income county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Kansas
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Barber County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Barber County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Barber County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Barber County, Kansas? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Barber County? ▼
What to do with Barber County's numbers
- Inside Kansas, Barber County's $1,648 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Kansas overview →
- Barber County ranks #28 of 105 Kansas counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state board. Kansas overview →
- If Barber County's assessment looks high versus the $97,000 typical home, check Kansas's filing window and evidence rules before the notice deadline passes. How to appeal →
Effective-rate definition
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($97,000); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
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.
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Editorial standards and provenance
PlainPropertyTax is rendered directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on the Census ACS county-level record for Barber County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.