Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Benton County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Benton County pays $2,727 a year, an effective rate of 1.31%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,727
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.31%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +37%
- vs U.S. average
- #54 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Benton County pay a median $2,727 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.31%, more affordable than 18% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,727
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.31%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2558 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +37%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($208,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 25,724. Owner-occupied homes: 8,671.
The median annual property tax in Benton County is $2,727, which is 6% lower than the Iowa state average and 37% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.31% on a median home value of $208,200. Property taxes represent 3.1% of the median household income in this county.
Benton County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Benton County's 1.31% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 18%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Benton County pay a median annual property tax of $2,727, well above the national median and modestly below the Iowa state median. On a $208,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.31% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Iowa counties by effective rate
Benton County ranks #54 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (45% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Benton County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.1% of the $86,962 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Benton 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.
The rate held while the market moved
Benton County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 2.0% down, against a median home value that rose 31.2%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 28.6%, from $2,120 to $2,727.
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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 29% from $2,120 to $2,727. These ACS medians describe the reported change; they do not identify whether a levy, assessment, home value, or change in the responding households caused it.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 3,666 of 8,671 owner-occupied homes (42.3%) report annual real-estate taxes above $3,000. That band has no upper edge in the source, so the county median understates the burden carried by the plurality rather than describing it.
Both figures are in the national top quarter, and the median bill still equals only 3.1% of median household income. A high rate on high earnings produces a large dollar figure, and only the dollar figure tends to get quoted; the ratio above is the other half.
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 Benton County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Benton County homeowners, 3,666 of 8,671 owner-occupied homes (42.3%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.4% (554)
- $800 to $1,499 11.9% (1,028)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.5% (1,087)
- $2,000 to $2,999 25.3% (2,198)
- $3,000 or more 42.3% (3,666)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
138 homes here (1.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Benton County, mortgaged homeowners pay 11% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Benton County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Benton County's effective rate is higher than 45% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #54 of 99.
Where Benton County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.31% more affordable than 18% 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 Benton County moved from $2,120 in the 2020 release to $2,727 in 2024, a change of about 29%. 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.
Benton County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Benton County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.1% | - | - |
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.
Benton County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Benton County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $208,200 median home carries a $2,727 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $273 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.
Benton County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,727 +3.8% | 1.31% |
| 2023 | $2,627 +5.8% | 1.32% |
| 2022 | $2,482 +11.2% | 1.31% |
| 2021 | $2,232 +5.3% | 1.34% |
| 2020 | $2,120 | 1.34% |
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.
Benton County: tax-to-income at 3.1%
Counties near Benton County's effective rate
On effective rate, Benton County sits nearest Taliaferro County (GA), Saline County (KS), Shiawassee County (MI).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Orange County (CA), Malheur County (OR), Martin County (MN).
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
Benton County: only 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 560 of 11,940 returns from Benton County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,120 - 30% 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 Iowa
Benton County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Benton County?
- Benton County, Iowa scores F (33/100) 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 housing pressure at B+ (2.39×). 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.
- What is the average property tax in Benton County, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Benton County is $2,727, an effective rate of 1.31% on a $208,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Benton County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Benton County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.31% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Benton County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Benton County jumped 28.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,120 to $2,727, 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 Benton County?
- Property taxes in Benton County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.1% of the $86,962 median household income.
What to do with Benton County's STEEP rate
Benton County's $2,727 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Benton County ranks #54 of 99 Iowa counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Iowa overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Benton County's STEEP 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: 1.31%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,727/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Benton County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Benton County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Oconto County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Benton County at $2,727/yr; rate 1.18% vs Benton County 1.31%.
Taylor County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,728/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.37% vs Benton County 1.31%.
Grant County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,729/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.36% vs Benton County 1.31%.
Jackson County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,725/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.39% vs Benton County 1.31%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Benton County stamps STEEP · MID - review notice deadlines before quoting the ACS median.
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 Benton County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.