Colorado · County property tax · ACS 2024
Chaffee County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Chaffee County pays $1,901 a year, an effective rate of 0.29%, modestly below the U.S. average.
- $1,901
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.29%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -5%
- vs U.S. average
- #56 of 64
- rank in CO
The verdict
Homeowners in Chaffee County pay a median $1,901 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.29%, more affordable than 98% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,901
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.29%
- Effective rate on median home
- #54 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -5%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($665,700). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Colorado. Population: 20,178. Owner-occupied homes: 7,311.
The median annual property tax in Chaffee County is $1,901, which is 27% lower than the Colorado state average and 5% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.29% on a median home value of $665,700. Property taxes represent 2.3% of the median household income in this county.
Chaffee County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Chaffee County's 0.29% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 98% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
High among Colorado counties by effective rate
Chaffee County ranks #56 of 64 counties in Colorado by effective rate (13% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits below the Colorado median
Homeowners in Chaffee County pay a median annual property tax of $1,901, modestly below the national median and well below the Colorado state median. On a $665,700 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.29% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 4
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has climbed 14.2%, from $1,664 to $1,901. 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 Chaffee County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.3% of the $84,132 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Chaffee 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 51% from $1,260 to $1,901. 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 plurality of owner-occupied homes here falls in the $2,000 to $2,999 band, at 2,185 of 7,311 (29.9%). This shows the reported distribution around the county median, while individual assessments can vary.
The most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 2.3% of median household income. Home values still drive the dollar figure, which is why the ratio above varies widely among counties that share this position.
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 Chaffee County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Chaffee County homeowners, 2,185 of 7,311 owner-occupied homes (29.9%), pays $2,000 to $2,999 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.4% (467)
- $800 to $1,499 25.6% (1,870)
- $1,500 to $1,999 20.6% (1,509)
- $2,000 to $2,999 29.9% (2,185)
- $3,000 or more 14.6% (1,065)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
215 homes here (2.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Colorado handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Chaffee County pay about the same bill, within a 2% gap either way.
Chaffee County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Chaffee County's effective rate is higher than 13% of the 64 counties in Colorado - ranking #56 of 64.
Where Chaffee County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.29% Among the most affordable more affordable than 98% 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 lowest-taxed counties in the country
At 0.29%, Chaffee County sits in the lowest 2% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. A low rate does not by itself mean a low bill: the median here is $1,901, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Chaffee County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Chaffee County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.3% | - | - |
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.
Chaffee County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Colorado counties.
Chaffee County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,901 +14.2% | 0.29% |
| 2023 | $1,664 +5.3% | 0.28% |
| 2022 | $1,580 +18.7% | 0.31% |
| 2021 | $1,331 +5.6% | 0.32% |
| 2020 | $1,260 | 0.33% |
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.
Chaffee County: tax-to-income at 2.3%
Counties near Chaffee County's effective rate
On effective rate, Chaffee County sits nearest Pickens County (AL), Lawrence County (AL), Cleburne County (AL).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Golden Valley County (MT), Hardin County (TX), Baker County (FL).
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
Chaffee County: only 8% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 910 of 11,150 returns from Chaffee County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,046 - 32% 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 Colorado
Chaffee County rate FAQs
- Are property taxes increasing in Chaffee County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Chaffee County is recorded at $1,901 in the 2024 5-year release against $1,260 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 7,311 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 is the average property tax in Chaffee County, Colorado?
- The median annual property tax in Chaffee County is $1,901, an effective rate of 0.29% on a $665,700 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Chaffee County?
- Chaffee County, Colorado scores B- (66/100) 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 rate relief at A+ (0.29%). 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.
- How does Chaffee County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Chaffee County run modestly below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.29% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Chaffee County?
- Property taxes in Chaffee County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.3% of the $84,132 median household income.
What to do with Chaffee County's QUIET rate
Inside Colorado, Chaffee County's $1,901 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Colorado overview →
Chaffee County ranks #56 of 64 Colorado counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Colorado overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Chaffee County's QUIET 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: 0.29%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,901/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Chaffee County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Chaffee County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Camp County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Chaffee County at $1,901/yr; rate 1.10% vs Chaffee County 0.29%.
Charleston County, SC
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Chaffee County at $1,901/yr; rate 0.39% vs Chaffee County 0.29%.
Beadle County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,900/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.09% vs Chaffee County 0.29%.
Montague County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,902/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.92% vs Chaffee County 0.29%.
Colorado county set
State ACS overview for every published Colorado county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Chaffee County stamps QUIET · 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 Chaffee County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.