Michigan · County property tax · ACS 2024
Branch County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Branch County pays $1,879 a year, an effective rate of 1.16%, modestly below the U.S. average.
- $1,879
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.16%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -6%
- vs U.S. average
- #31 of 83
- rank in MI
The verdict
Homeowners in Branch County pay a median $1,879 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.16%, more affordable than 25% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,879
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.16%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2350 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -6%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($162,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Michigan. Population: 45,300. Owner-occupied homes: 13,131.
The median annual property tax in Branch County is $1,879, which is 35% lower than the Michigan state average and 6% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.16% on a median home value of $162,500. Property taxes represent 2.9% of the median household income in this county.
Branch County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Branch County's 1.16% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 25%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Michigan median
Homeowners in Branch County pay a median annual property tax of $1,879, modestly below the national median and well below the Michigan state median. On a $162,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.16% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Michigan counties by effective rate
Branch County ranks #31 of 83 counties in Michigan by effective rate (63% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Branch County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.9% of the $63,724 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Branch 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
Branch County's effective rate fell 12.6% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 37.5%, leaving the median bill 20.2% higher at $1,879. That rate move is larger than the one in 51% 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 $1,563 to $1,879, a gain of 20%. 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 3,297 of 13,131 owner-occupied homes (25.1%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Earnings are below the national midpoint while the rate is above it, and the median bill equals 2.9% of median household income. The gap between those two positions is the whole story on this page.
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 Branch County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Branch County homeowners, 3,297 of 13,131 owner-occupied homes (25.1%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 9.1% (1,195)
- $800 to $1,499 25.1% (3,297)
- $1,500 to $1,999 15.3% (2,014)
- $2,000 to $2,999 18.0% (2,361)
- $3,000 or more 24.1% (3,171)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,093 homes here (8.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Michigan handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Branch County, mortgaged homeowners pay 12% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Branch County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Branch County's effective rate is higher than 63% of the 83 counties in Michigan - ranking #31 of 83.
Where Branch County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.16% more affordable than 25% 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
Same rate as Michigan, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 7% of the Michigan median, yet the median bill runs 35% below it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to cheaper housing produces $1,879 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Branch County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Branch 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 | 2.9% | - | - |
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.
Branch County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Michigan counties.
Branch County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,879 +3.6% | 1.16% |
| 2023 | $1,813 +3.5% | 1.23% |
| 2022 | $1,751 +9.2% | 1.25% |
| 2021 | $1,603 +2.6% | 1.32% |
| 2020 | $1,563 | 1.32% |
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.
Branch County: tax-to-income at 2.9%
Counties near Branch County's effective rate
On effective rate, Branch County sits nearest Penobscot County (ME), Androscoggin County (ME), Linn County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Carver County (MN), Cherokee County (IA), Essex County (MA).
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
Branch County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 450 of 19,500 returns from Branch County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,453 - 33% 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
Branch County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Branch County, Michigan?
- The median annual property tax in Branch County is $1,879, an effective rate of 1.16% on a $162,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Branch County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Branch County run modestly below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.16% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Branch County?
- Branch County, Michigan scores D (41/100) 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- (2.55×). 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 Branch County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Branch County jumped 20.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,563 to $1,879, 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 Branch County?
- Property taxes in Branch County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.9% of the $63,724 median household income.
What to do with Branch County's PAR rate
Inside Michigan, Branch County's $1,879 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Michigan overview →
Branch County ranks #31 of 83 Michigan counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Michigan overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Branch 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: 1.16%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,879/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Branch County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Branch County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Red Willow County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Branch County at $1,879/yr; rate 1.18% vs Branch County 1.16%.
Charles Mix County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,878/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.10% vs Branch County 1.16%.
Gloucester County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,878/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.57% vs Branch County 1.16%.
Jones County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,878/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.97% vs Branch County 1.16%.
Michigan county set
State ACS overview for every published Michigan county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Branch 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 Branch County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.