Illinois · County property tax · ACS 2024
Brown County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Brown County pays $2,291 a year, an effective rate of 1.52%, notably higher than the U.S. average.
- $2,291
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.52%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +15%
- vs U.S. average
- #80 of 102
- rank in IL
The verdict
Homeowners in Brown County pay a median $2,291 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.52%, more affordable than 10% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,291
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.52%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2821 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +15%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($150,300). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Illinois. Population: 6,322. Owner-occupied homes: 1,465.
The median annual property tax in Brown County is $2,291, which is 57% lower than the Illinois state average and 15% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.52% on a median home value of $150,300. Property taxes represent 3.4% of the median household income in this county.
Brown County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Brown County's 1.52% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 90% pay more.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Illinois median
Homeowners in Brown County pay a median annual property tax of $2,291, notably higher than the national median and far below the Illinois state median. On a $150,300 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.52% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Illinois counties by effective rate
Brown County ranks #80 of 102 counties in Illinois by effective rate (22% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has climbed 9.6%, from $2,090 to $2,291. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Decision signal 5
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Brown County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.4% of the $67,917 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Brown 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.
How to read this county's bill
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 46% from $1,568 to $2,291. 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: 462 of 1,465 owner-occupied homes (31.5%) 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.
The rate is in the national top quarter while earnings are only moderately above the midpoint, so the median bill claims 3.4% of median household income. A high rate is affordable only relative to something, and this is what it is relative to 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 Brown County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Brown County homeowners, 462 of 1,465 owner-occupied homes (31.5%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 10.1% (148)
- $800 to $1,499 11.4% (167)
- $1,500 to $1,999 20.1% (294)
- $2,000 to $2,999 24.0% (351)
- $3,000 or more 31.5% (462)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
43 homes here (2.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Illinois handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Brown County pay about the same bill, within a 2% gap either way.
Brown County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Brown County's effective rate is higher than 22% of the 102 counties in Illinois - ranking #80 of 102.
Where Brown County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.52% more affordable than 10% 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
Among the highest-taxed counties in the country
At 1.52%, Brown County sits in the top 10% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. That is the rate, not the bill: a high rate on a modest home can still produce a smaller cheque than a low rate on an expensive one, which is why the $2,291 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Brown County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Brown County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.4% | - | - |
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.
Brown County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Brown County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $150,300 median home carries a $2,291 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $229 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Illinois.
Brown County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,291 +9.6% | 1.52% |
| 2023 | $2,090 +11.4% | 1.47% |
| 2022 | $1,876 +8.9% | 1.54% |
| 2021 | $1,722 +9.8% | 1.62% |
| 2020 | $1,568 | 1.57% |
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.
Brown County: tax-to-income at 3.4%
Counties near Brown County's effective rate
On effective rate, Brown County sits nearest Johnson County (IA), Ford County (KS), Greenwood County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Parke County (IN), Greene County (IA), Liberty County (MT).
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
Brown County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 60 of 2,300 returns from Brown County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,033 - 50% of those reporters sat in the $50-75k 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 Illinois
Brown County rate FAQs
- How does Brown County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Brown County run notably higher than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.52% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Brown County?
- Brown County, Illinois scores F (38/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-49). 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 Brown County, Illinois?
- The median annual property tax in Brown County is $2,291, an effective rate of 1.52% on a $150,300 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Brown County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Brown County is recorded at $2,291 in the 2024 5-year release against $1,568 in 2020. That is a large swing, and it should be read as movement in a survey estimate rather than as a tax change: the median here rests on about 1,465 owner-occupied homes, and swings above 50% are roughly twelve times more common in the smallest counties than in the largest. Treat the two figures as imprecise and check the county assessor for actual rate changes.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Brown County?
- Property taxes in Brown County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.4% of the $67,917 median household income.
What to do with Brown County's STEEP rate
Inside Illinois, Brown County's $2,291 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Illinois overview →
Brown County ranks #80 of 102 Illinois counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Illinois overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Brown 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: 1.52%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,291/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Brown County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Brown County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Fulton County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,289/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 2.14% vs Brown County 1.52%.
Stutsman County, ND
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,289/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.10% vs Brown County 1.52%.
Archer County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,296/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 1.21% vs Brown County 1.52%.
Columbia County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,286/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 1.11% vs Brown County 1.52%.
Illinois county set
State ACS overview for every published Illinois county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Brown 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 Brown County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.