Minnesota · County property tax · ACS 2024
Clearwater County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Clearwater County pays $1,295 a year, an effective rate of 0.67%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,295
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.67%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- -35%
- vs U.S. average
- #84 of 87
- rank in MN
The verdict
Homeowners in Clearwater County pay a median $1,295 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.67%, more affordable than 63% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,295
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.67%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1158 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -35%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($192,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Minnesota. Population: 8,616. Owner-occupied homes: 2,676.
The median annual property tax in Clearwater County is $1,295, which is 61% lower than the Minnesota state average and 35% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.67% on a median home value of $192,100. Property taxes represent 2.0% of the median household income in this county.
Clearwater County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Clearwater County's 0.67% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 63%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Clearwater County pay a median annual property tax of $1,295, well below the national median and far below the Minnesota state median. On a $192,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.67% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Minnesota counties by effective rate
Clearwater County ranks #84 of 87 counties in Minnesota by effective rate (3% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Clearwater County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.0% of the $64,475 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Clearwater 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Clearwater County's effective rate fell 17.1% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 37.7%, leaving the median bill 14.2% higher at $1,295. That rate move is larger than the one in 73% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
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 $1,134 to $1,295, 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 fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 905 of 2,676 owner-occupied homes (33.8%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Both figures cluster near the middle of the national range, and the median bill comes to 2.0% of median household income. Counties like this are the reason a national average exists at all, and also the reason it explains so little.
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 Clearwater County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Clearwater County homeowners, 905 of 2,676 owner-occupied homes (33.8%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 23.3% (623)
- $800 to $1,499 33.8% (905)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.1% (323)
- $2,000 to $2,999 15.4% (411)
- $3,000 or more 10.4% (278)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
136 homes here (5.1%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Minnesota handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Clearwater County, mortgaged homeowners pay 11% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Clearwater County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Clearwater County's effective rate is higher than 3% of the 87 counties in Minnesota - ranking #84 of 87.
Where Clearwater County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.67% Among the most affordable more affordable than 63% 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
Below Minnesota on both measures
Clearwater County's effective rate runs 34% under the Minnesota median and its bill 61% under. Both sitting on the same side means the gap is not a valuation artefact: a county can post a low rate purely because its homes are expensive, but then the bill rises to meet the state. Here it does not, so the $1,295 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Minnesota norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Clearwater County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Clearwater County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.0% | - | - |
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.
Clearwater County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Minnesota counties.
Clearwater County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,295 -0.2% | 0.67% |
| 2023 | $1,297 +2.2% | 0.73% |
| 2022 | $1,269 +9.6% | 0.78% |
| 2021 | $1,158 +2.1% | 0.77% |
| 2020 | $1,134 | 0.81% |
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.
Clearwater County: tax-to-income at 2.0%
Counties near Clearwater County's effective rate
On effective rate, Clearwater County sits nearest Barnstable County (MA), East Baton Rouge Parish (LA), Metcalfe County (KY).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Chester County (PA), Smyth County (VA), Emanuel County (GA).
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
Clearwater County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 90 of 3,930 returns from Clearwater County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,300 - 56% 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 Minnesota
Clearwater County rate FAQs
- How does Clearwater County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Clearwater County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.67% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Clearwater County, Minnesota?
- The median annual property tax in Clearwater County is $1,295, an effective rate of 0.67% on a $192,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Clearwater County?
- Clearwater County, Minnesota scores B- (65/100) 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 B (+$138). 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Clearwater County?
- Property taxes in Clearwater County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.0% of the $64,475 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Clearwater County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Clearwater County climbed 14.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,134 to $1,295, 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 Clearwater County's QUIET rate
Clearwater County's $1,295 median bill sits well below the U.S. median - still size a parcel estimate; local millage and exemptions move the real bill. Estimate your bill →
Clearwater County ranks #84 of 87 Minnesota counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Minnesota overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Clearwater 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: 0.67%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,295/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Clearwater County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Clearwater County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Loup County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Clearwater County at $1,295/yr; rate 0.71% vs Clearwater County 0.67%.
Gates County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,296/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.76% vs Clearwater County 0.67%.
Hayes County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,294/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.01% vs Clearwater County 0.67%.
Henry County, MO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,296/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.81% vs Clearwater County 0.67%.
Minnesota county set
State ACS overview for every published Minnesota county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Clearwater County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - 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 Clearwater County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.