Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Calhoun County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Calhoun County pays $1,567 a year, an effective rate of 1.32%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,567
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 1.32%
- Effective rate · High rate
- -21%
- vs U.S. average
- #53 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Calhoun County pay a median $1,567 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.32%, more affordable than 18% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,567
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.32%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2580 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -21%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($118,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 9,803. Owner-occupied homes: 3,215.
The median annual property tax in Calhoun County is $1,567, which is 46% lower than the Iowa state average and 21% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.32% on a median home value of $118,800. Property taxes represent 2.4% of the median household income in this county.
Calhoun County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Calhoun County's 1.32% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 18%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Iowa median
Homeowners in Calhoun County pay a median annual property tax of $1,567, notably lower than the national median and well below the Iowa state median. On a $118,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.32% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Calhoun County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $64,964 median household income.
Decision signal 4
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has ticked up 4.1%, from $1,506 to $1,567. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Decision signal 5
Near the middle of Iowa counties by effective rate
Calhoun County ranks #53 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (46% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Calhoun 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 28% from $1,226 to $1,567. 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 fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 819 of 3,215 owner-occupied homes (25.5%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 2.4% of median household income. A rate ranking places this county by the rate alone; the ratio above is the figure that accounts for what is earned 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 Calhoun County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Calhoun County homeowners, 819 of 3,215 owner-occupied homes (25.5%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 21.2% (680)
- $800 to $1,499 25.5% (819)
- $1,500 to $1,999 15.0% (481)
- $2,000 to $2,999 15.6% (500)
- $3,000 or more 20.1% (647)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
88 homes here (2.7%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Calhoun County, mortgaged homeowners pay 24% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Calhoun County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Calhoun County's effective rate is higher than 46% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #53 of 99.
Where Calhoun County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.32% 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 Calhoun County moved from $1,226 in the 2020 release to $1,567 in 2024, a change of about 28%. 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.
Calhoun County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Calhoun County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.4% | - | - |
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.
Calhoun County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Calhoun County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $118,800 median home carries a $1,567 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $157 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.
Calhoun County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,567 +4.1% | 1.32% |
| 2023 | $1,506 +4.7% | 1.32% |
| 2022 | $1,438 +7.3% | 1.37% |
| 2021 | $1,340 +9.3% | 1.51% |
| 2020 | $1,226 | 1.43% |
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.
Calhoun County: tax-to-income at 2.4%
Counties near Calhoun County's effective rate
On effective rate, Calhoun County sits nearest Mitchell County (GA), Atchison County (KS), Clay County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Shelby County (KY), Kauai County (HI), Putnam County (OH).
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
Calhoun County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 110 of 4,380 returns from Calhoun County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,718 - 27% of those reporters sat in the $10-25k 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
Calhoun County rate FAQs
- How does Calhoun County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Calhoun County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.32% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Calhoun County, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Calhoun County is $1,567, an effective rate of 1.32% on a $118,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Calhoun County?
- Calhoun County, Iowa scores D (45/100) 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+ (1.83×). 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 Calhoun County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Calhoun County is recorded at $1,567 in the 2024 5-year release against $1,226 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 3,215 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 Calhoun County?
- Property taxes in Calhoun County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $64,964 median household income.
What to do with Calhoun County's STEEP rate
Inside Iowa, Calhoun County's $1,567 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Iowa overview →
Calhoun County ranks #53 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 Calhoun 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: 1.32%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,567/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Calhoun County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Calhoun County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Andrew County, MO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,568/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.73% vs Calhoun County 1.32%.
Carroll County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,566/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.61% vs Calhoun County 1.32%.
Catoosa County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,566/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.65% vs Calhoun County 1.32%.
Chouteau County, MT
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,566/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.75% vs Calhoun County 1.32%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Calhoun 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 Calhoun County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.