Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Clarke County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Clarke County pays $2,578 a year, an effective rate of 1.60%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,578
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.60%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +29%
- vs U.S. average
- #6 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Clarke County pay a median $2,578 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.60%, more affordable than 8% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,578
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.60%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2880 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +29%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($161,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 9,662. Owner-occupied homes: 2,944.
The median annual property tax in Clarke County is $2,578, which is 11% lower than the Iowa state average and 29% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.60% on a median home value of $161,100. Property taxes represent 3.6% of the median household income in this county.
Clarke County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Clarke County's 1.60% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 92% pay more.
Decision signal 2
Low among Iowa counties by effective rate
Clarke County ranks #6 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (94% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Clarke County pay a median annual property tax of $2,578, well above the national median and notably lower than the Iowa state median. On a $161,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.60% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Clarke County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.6% of the $71,641 median household income.
Decision signal 5
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has climbed 10.4%, from $2,335 to $2,578. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Clarke 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 41% from $1,827 to $2,578. 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: 1,028 of 2,944 owner-occupied homes (34.9%) 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 3.6% 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 Clarke County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Clarke County homeowners, 1,028 of 2,944 owner-occupied homes (34.9%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 10.3% (304)
- $800 to $1,499 12.9% (381)
- $1,500 to $1,999 6.6% (194)
- $2,000 to $2,999 32.3% (950)
- $3,000 or more 34.9% (1,028)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
87 homes here (3.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Clarke County pay a substantially higher bill, 30% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
Clarke County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Clarke County's effective rate is higher than 94% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #6 of 99.
Where Clarke County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.60% more affordable than 8% 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 1.60%, Clarke County sits in the top 8% 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 $2,578 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Clarke County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Clarke County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.6% | - | - |
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.
Clarke County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Clarke County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $161,100 median home carries a $2,578 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $258 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.
Clarke County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,578 +10.4% | 1.60% |
| 2023 | $2,335 +4.8% | 1.46% |
| 2022 | $2,227 +14.9% | 1.75% |
| 2021 | $1,938 +6.1% | 1.55% |
| 2020 | $1,827 | 1.58% |
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.
Clarke County: tax-to-income at 3.6%
Counties near Clarke County's effective rate
On effective rate, Clarke County sits nearest Perry County (IL), Delaware County (OH), Erie County (PA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Dolores County (CO), Charlottesville city (VA), Nassau 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
Clarke County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 120 of 4,390 returns from Clarke County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,650 - 33% 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 Iowa
Clarke County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Clarke County?
- Clarke County, Iowa scores F (24/100) 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 Clarke County, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Clarke County is $2,578, an effective rate of 1.60% on a $161,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Clarke County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Clarke County is recorded at $2,578 in the 2024 5-year release against $1,827 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 2,944 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.
- How does Clarke County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Clarke County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.60% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Clarke County?
- Property taxes in Clarke County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.6% of the $71,641 median household income.
What to do with Clarke County's STEEP rate
Clarke County's $2,578 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Clarke County ranks #6 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 Clarke 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: 1.60%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,578/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Clarke County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Clarke County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Harris County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Clarke County at $2,578/yr; rate 0.85% vs Clarke County 1.60%.
Inyo County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,576/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.74% vs Clarke County 1.60%.
Jackson County, MO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,575/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.12% vs Clarke County 1.60%.
Lewis County, WA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,581/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.67% vs Clarke County 1.60%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Clarke 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 Clarke County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.