South Dakota · County property tax · ACS 2024
Brown County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Brown County pays $2,598 a year, an effective rate of 1.18%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,598
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.18%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +30%
- vs U.S. average
- #14 of 66
- rank in SD
The verdict
Homeowners in Brown County pay a median $2,598 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.18%, more affordable than 24% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,598
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.18%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2381 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +30%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($221,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Dakota. Population: 37,877. Owner-occupied homes: 11,014.
The median annual property tax in Brown County is $2,598, which is 5% lower than the South Dakota state average and 30% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.18% on a median home value of $221,100. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.
Brown County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Brown County's 1.18% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 24%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Brown County pay a median annual property tax of $2,598, well above the national median and modestly below the South Dakota state median. On a $221,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.18% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Low among South Dakota counties by effective rate
Brown County ranks #14 of 66 counties in South Dakota by effective rate (79% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
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 3.7% of the $70,898 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.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 12.1% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 51% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 29.1%, the median bill rose 13.5% to $2,598: 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 $2,288 to $2,598, a gain of 14%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 4,249 of 11,014 owner-occupied homes (38.6%) 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 3.7% 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, 4,249 of 11,014 owner-occupied homes (38.6%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 8.3% (919)
- $800 to $1,499 14.8% (1,627)
- $1,500 to $1,999 10.6% (1,169)
- $2,000 to $2,999 24.8% (2,728)
- $3,000 or more 38.6% (4,249)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
322 homes here (2.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how South Dakota handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Brown County pay about the same bill, a 1% gap.
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 79% of the 66 counties in South Dakota - ranking #14 of 66.
Where Brown County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.18% more affordable than 24% 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
Brown County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Brown County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.7% | - | - |
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.
Brown County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · South Dakota counties.
Brown County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,598 +1.8% | 1.18% |
| 2023 | $2,553 +2.2% | 1.20% |
| 2022 | $2,498 +9.7% | 1.25% |
| 2021 | $2,277 -0.5% | 1.33% |
| 2020 | $2,288 | 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.
Brown County: tax-to-income at 3.7%
Counties near Brown County's effective rate
On effective rate, Brown County sits nearest Mercer County (PA), Seward County (NE), Red Willow County (NE).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Lander County (NV), Iron County (MI), Kendall County (IL).
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: 530 of 18,480 returns from Brown County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,536 - 43% of those reporters sat in the $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 South Dakota
Brown County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Brown County?
- Brown County, South Dakota scores F (35/100) 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 (+$19). 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, South Dakota?
- The median annual property tax in Brown County is $2,598, an effective rate of 1.18% on a $221,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Brown County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Brown County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.18% versus 0.92% nationally.
- 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 3.7% of the $70,898 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Brown County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Brown County climbed 13.5% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,288 to $2,598, 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 to do with Brown County's PAR rate
Brown County's $2,598 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Brown County ranks #14 of 66 South Dakota counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. South Dakota overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Brown 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: 1.18%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,598/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 (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Whiteside County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Brown County at $2,598/yr; rate 2.04% vs Brown County 1.18%.
Douglas County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,599/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.26% vs Brown County 1.18%.
Hamilton County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,597/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.00% vs Brown County 1.18%.
Seminole County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,599/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.67% vs Brown County 1.18%.
South Dakota county set
State ACS overview for every published South Dakota county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Brown 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 Brown County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.