Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Buchanan County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Buchanan County pays $2,390 a year, an effective rate of 1.36%, notably higher than the U.S. average.
- $2,390
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.36%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +20%
- vs U.S. average
- #40 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Buchanan County pay a median $2,390 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.36%, more affordable than 16% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,390
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.36%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2627 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +20%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($176,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 20,694. Owner-occupied homes: 6,777.
The median annual property tax in Buchanan County is $2,390, which is 18% lower than the Iowa state average and 20% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.36% on a median home value of $176,000. Property taxes represent 3.1% of the median household income in this county.
Buchanan County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Buchanan County's 1.36% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 16%).
Decision signal 2
The bill is near the usual comparison points
Homeowners in Buchanan County pay a median annual property tax of $2,390, notably higher than the national median and notably lower than the Iowa state median. On a $176,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.36% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Iowa counties by effective rate
Buchanan County ranks #40 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (60% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Buchanan County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.1% of the $78,236 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Buchanan 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 8.7% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 65% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 22.9%, the median bill rose 12.2% to $2,390: 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 $2,131 to $2,390, a gain of 12%. 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: 2,377 of 6,777 owner-occupied homes (35.1%) 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 Buchanan County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Buchanan County homeowners, 2,377 of 6,777 owner-occupied homes (35.1%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 9.4% (639)
- $800 to $1,499 17.6% (1,194)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.9% (871)
- $2,000 to $2,999 21.9% (1,486)
- $3,000 or more 35.1% (2,377)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
210 homes here (3.1%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Buchanan County, mortgaged homeowners pay 20% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Buchanan County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Buchanan County's effective rate is higher than 60% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #40 of 99.
Where Buchanan County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.36% more affordable than 16% 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 Iowa, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 2% of the Iowa median, yet the median bill runs 18% 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 $2,390 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Buchanan County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Buchanan County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median 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.
Buchanan County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Buchanan County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $176,000 median home carries a $2,390 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $239 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.
Buchanan County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,390 +4.5% | 1.36% |
| 2023 | $2,286 +0.0% | 1.33% |
| 2022 | $2,286 +3.0% | 1.38% |
| 2021 | $2,220 +4.2% | 1.51% |
| 2020 | $2,131 | 1.49% |
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.
Buchanan County: tax-to-income at 3.1%
Counties near Buchanan County's effective rate
On effective rate, Buchanan County sits nearest Genesee County (MI), Coryell County (TX), Columbia County (WI).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Lamoille County (VT), Mason County (IL), Winnebago 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
Buchanan County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 340 of 9,400 returns from Buchanan County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,750 - 29% 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
Buchanan County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Buchanan County?
- Buchanan 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 A- (2.25×). 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 Buchanan County, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Buchanan County is $2,390, an effective rate of 1.36% on a $176,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Buchanan County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Buchanan County run notably higher than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.36% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Buchanan County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Buchanan County climbed 12.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,131 to $2,390, 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 Buchanan County?
- Property taxes in Buchanan County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.1% of the $78,236 median household income.
What to do with Buchanan County's STEEP rate
At Buchanan County's 1.36% effective rate, a $176,000 home implies about $2,390/yr - plug in your own assessed value rather than quoting the county median. Estimate your bill →
Buchanan County ranks #40 of 99 Iowa counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Iowa overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Buchanan 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: 1.36%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,390/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Buchanan County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Buchanan County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Hemphill County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Buchanan County at $2,390/yr; rate 1.16% vs Buchanan County 1.36%.
Dare County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,391/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.52% vs Buchanan County 1.36%.
Snyder County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,388/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.11% vs Buchanan County 1.36%.
Wahkiakum County, WA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,392/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.60% vs Buchanan County 1.36%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Buchanan 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 Buchanan County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.