Pennsylvania · County property tax · ACS 2024
Columbia County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Columbia County pays $2,286 a year, an effective rate of 1.11%, notably higher than the U.S. average.
- $2,286
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.11%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +15%
- vs U.S. average
- #47 of 67
- rank in PA
The verdict
Homeowners in Columbia County pay a median $2,286 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.11%, more affordable than 28% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,286
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.11%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2262 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +15%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($206,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Pennsylvania. Population: 65,362. Owner-occupied homes: 18,313.
The median annual property tax in Columbia County is $2,286, which is 31% lower than the Pennsylvania state average and 15% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.11% on a median home value of $206,200. Property taxes represent 3.5% of the median household income in this county.
Columbia County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Columbia County's 1.11% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 28%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Pennsylvania median
Homeowners in Columbia County pay a median annual property tax of $2,286, notably higher than the national median and well below the Pennsylvania state median. On a $206,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.11% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Pennsylvania counties by effective rate
Columbia County ranks #47 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by effective rate (30% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Columbia County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.5% of the $64,644 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Columbia 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 8.9% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 64% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 34.0%, the median bill rose 22.1% to $2,286: 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.
How to read this county's bill
Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $1,873 to $2,286, a gain of 22%. 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: 5,566 of 18,313 owner-occupied homes (30.4%) 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.
Earnings are below the national midpoint while the rate is above it, and the median bill equals 3.5% of median household income. The gap between those two positions is the whole story on this page.
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 Columbia County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Columbia County homeowners, 5,566 of 18,313 owner-occupied homes (30.4%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 8.9% (1,637)
- $800 to $1,499 17.6% (3,225)
- $1,500 to $1,999 15.1% (2,769)
- $2,000 to $2,999 26.3% (4,820)
- $3,000 or more 30.4% (5,566)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
296 homes here (1.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Pennsylvania handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Columbia County pay about the same bill, a 6% gap.
Columbia County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Columbia County's effective rate is higher than 30% of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania - ranking #47 of 67.
Where Columbia County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.11% more affordable than 28% 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 Pennsylvania on both measures
Columbia County's effective rate runs 15% under the Pennsylvania median and its bill 31% 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 $2,286 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Pennsylvania norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Columbia County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.5% | - | - |
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.
Columbia County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Pennsylvania counties.
Columbia County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,286 +0.9% | 1.11% |
| 2023 | $2,266 +2.4% | 1.14% |
| 2022 | $2,212 +8.3% | 1.21% |
| 2021 | $2,042 +9.0% | 1.26% |
| 2020 | $1,873 | 1.22% |
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.
Columbia County: tax-to-income at 3.5%
Counties near Columbia County's effective rate
On effective rate, Columbia County sits nearest McPherson County (NE), Holt County (NE), Butler County (NE).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Fremont County (WY), Campbell County (KY), Harris 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
Columbia County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 760 of 30,070 returns from Columbia County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,387 - 38% 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 Pennsylvania
Columbia County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Columbia County?
- Columbia County, Pennsylvania scores F (36/100) 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 (+$128). 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 Columbia County, Pennsylvania?
- The median annual property tax in Columbia County is $2,286, an effective rate of 1.11% on a $206,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Columbia County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Columbia County run notably higher than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.11% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Columbia County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Columbia County jumped 22.1% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,873 to $2,286, 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 Columbia County?
- Property taxes in Columbia County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.5% of the $64,644 median household income.
What to do with Columbia County's PAR rate
Inside Pennsylvania, Columbia County's $2,286 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Pennsylvania overview →
Columbia County ranks #47 of 67 Pennsylvania counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Pennsylvania overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Columbia County's PAR 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: 1.11%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,286/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Columbia County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Columbia County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
McDonough County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,285/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 2.13% vs Columbia County 1.11%.
Coos County, OR
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,284/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.68% vs Columbia County 1.11%.
Saginaw County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,284/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.49% vs Columbia County 1.11%.
Seward County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,284/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.67% vs Columbia County 1.11%.
Pennsylvania county set
State ACS overview for every published Pennsylvania county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Columbia County stamps PAR · 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 Columbia County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.