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Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024

Clinton County Property Taxes

The median homeowner in Clinton County pays $2,461 a year, an effective rate of 1.53%, notably higher than the U.S. average.

$2,461
Median tax / yr · High bill
1.53%
Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
+23%
vs U.S. average
#10 of 99
rank in IA

The verdict

Homeowners in Clinton County pay a median $2,461 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.53%, more affordable than 10% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).

$2,461
Median annual tax bill, 2024
1.53%
Effective rate on median home
#2829 of 3135
U.S. counties by tax burden
+23%
vs the national average bill

Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($160,600). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.

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Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 46,268. Owner-occupied homes: 14,541.

The median annual property tax in Clinton County is $2,461, which is 15% lower than the Iowa state average and 23% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.53% on a median home value of $160,600. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.

Clinton County's rate standing among U.S. counties

Primary signal

The effective rate is a national headwind

Clinton County's 1.53% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 90% pay more.

Decision signal 2

Low among Iowa counties by effective rate

Clinton County ranks #10 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (90% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).

Decision signal 3

The bill is near the usual comparison points

Homeowners in Clinton County pay a median annual property tax of $2,461, notably higher than the national median and notably lower than the Iowa state median. On a $160,600 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.53% 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 Clinton County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $66,981 median household income.

Informational notice

Figures describe the median homeowner household in Clinton 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 7.8% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 69% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 33.6%, the median bill rose 23.2% to $2,461: 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.

Median Annual Tax
$2,461
High bill
-15% vs State +23% vs US
Median Home Value
$160,600
-23% vs State -29% vs US
Effective Tax Rate
1.53%
Highest-decile rate
+10% vs State +66% vs US

How to read this county's bill

Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $1,997 to $2,461, a gain of 23%. 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: 5,201 of 14,541 owner-occupied homes (35.8%) 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 3.7% 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 Clinton County Homeowners Actually Pay

The single largest group of Clinton County homeowners, 5,201 of 14,541 owner-occupied homes (35.8%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.

  • Less than $800 6.1% (886)
  • $800 to $1,499 18.7% (2,714)
  • $1,500 to $1,999 12.9% (1,871)
  • $2,000 to $2,999 24.0% (3,494)
  • $3,000 or more 35.8% (5,201)

Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.

375 homes here (2.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.

With vs Without Mortgage

With Mortgage
$2,503
$209/mo
Without Mortgage
$2,402
$200/mo

Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Clinton County pay about the same bill, a 4% gap.

Clinton County's effective rate vs peers

Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.

Clinton County 1.53%
Iowa average 1.39%
U.S. average 0.92%

Clinton County's effective rate is higher than 90% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #10 of 99.

Where Clinton County sits among every U.S. county

Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)

1.53% more affordable than 10% of 3,135 U.S. counties

Show national distribution This county 0.00% 4.00% every U.S. county, bucketed by value

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 1.53%, Clinton County sits in the top 10% 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 $2,461 median bill is the number to compare against another county.

Clinton County vs Benchmarks

Metric Clinton County Iowa Avg U.S. Avg
Median Annual Tax High bill $2,461 $2,897 $1,993
Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate 1.53% 1.39% 0.92%
Median Home Value $160,600 $208,000 $227,791
Tax as % of income Heavy income burden 3.7% - -

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.

Clinton County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?

On Clinton County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $160,600 median home carries a $2,461 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $246 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.

Clinton County rate trail · STEEP

$1,800$2,000$2,200$2,400$2,600 20202021202220232024 $2,461
Clinton County ACS median tax 2020–2024: +23% ($1,997 → $2,461).
Year Median Tax (vs prior release) Effective Rate
2024 $2,461 +3.3% 1.53%
2023 $2,382 +2.9% 1.55%
2022 $2,315 +4.2% 1.60%
2021 $2,221 +11.2% 1.72%
2020 $1,997 1.66%

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.

Clinton County: tax-to-income at 3.7%

Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.7%
of median household income
Median Income
$66,981
per year
Monthly Tax
$205
per month

Counties near Clinton County's effective rate

On effective rate, Clinton County sits nearest Pike County (IL), Stewart County (GA), Lancaster County (NE).

On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Blount County (TN), Winston County (MS), Rio Blanco County (CO).

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.

Clinton County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax

Tax year 2022: 710 of 21,610 returns from Clinton County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,438 - 34% 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

View all counties in Iowa →

Clinton County rate FAQs

What is the tax affordability score for Clinton County?
Clinton County, Iowa scores F (32/100) 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+ (+$101). 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 Clinton County, Iowa?
The median annual property tax in Clinton County is $2,461, an effective rate of 1.53% on a $160,600 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
How does Clinton County property tax compare to the national average?
Property taxes in Clinton County run notably higher than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.53% versus 0.92% nationally.
Are property taxes increasing in Clinton County?
The ACS median property-tax bill for Clinton County jumped 23.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,997 to $2,461, 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 Clinton County?
Property taxes in Clinton County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $66,981 median household income.

What to do with Clinton County's STEEP rate

At Clinton County's 1.53% effective rate, a $160,600 home implies about $2,461/yr - plug in your own assessed value rather than quoting the county median. Estimate your bill →

Clinton County ranks #10 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 Clinton 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: 1.53%.

Similar median bill

Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,461/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.

Read with Clinton County

Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Clinton County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.

STEEP MID

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 Clinton County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.