Montana · County property tax · ACS 2024
Custer County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Custer County pays $2,264 a year, an effective rate of 1.03%, notably higher than the U.S. average.
- $2,264
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.03%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +14%
- vs U.S. average
- #7 of 56
- rank in MT
The verdict
Homeowners in Custer County pay a median $2,264 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.03%, more affordable than 33% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,264
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.03%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2102 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +14%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($219,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Montana. Population: 11,961. Owner-occupied homes: 3,520.
The median annual property tax in Custer County is $2,264, which is 16% lower than the Montana state average and 14% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.03% on a median home value of $219,100. Property taxes represent 3.2% of the median household income in this county.
Custer County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Custer County's 1.03% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 33%).
Decision signal 2
Low among Montana counties by effective rate
Custer County ranks #7 of 56 counties in Montana by effective rate (88% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill is near the usual comparison points
Homeowners in Custer County pay a median annual property tax of $2,264, notably higher than the national median and notably lower than the Montana state median. On a $219,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.03% 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 Custer County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.2% of the $70,605 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Custer 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.
The rate held while the market moved
Custer County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 1.9% down, against a median home value that rose 25.6%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 23.2%, from $1,838 to $2,264.
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 $1,838 to $2,264, 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: 1,034 of 3,520 owner-occupied homes (29.4%) 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.
Both the income and the rate here sit in the third quarter nationally, and the median bill is 3.2% of median household income. Two above-average figures pulling in opposite directions is why the rate on its own is a poor guide.
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 Custer County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Custer County homeowners, 1,034 of 3,520 owner-occupied homes (29.4%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 10.3% (361)
- $800 to $1,499 19.2% (677)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.5% (406)
- $2,000 to $2,999 24.7% (868)
- $3,000 or more 29.4% (1,034)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
174 homes here (4.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Montana handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Custer County, mortgaged homeowners pay 14% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Custer County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Custer County's effective rate is higher than 88% of the 56 counties in Montana - ranking #7 of 56.
Where Custer County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.03% more affordable than 33% 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
A high rate, a smaller bill
Custer County taxes property at 1.03%, about 43% above the Montana average, yet its median bill of $2,264 lands roughly 16% below it. The effective rate is the bill divided by the home's value, so a county can only sit on opposite sides of the state average this way when its homes are worth materially less than the state norm. The rate is the policy; the bill is what the housing market does with it.
Custer County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Custer County | Montana Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.2% | - | - |
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.
Custer County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Montana counties.
Custer County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,264 +1.0% | 1.03% |
| 2023 | $2,242 +5.4% | 1.10% |
| 2022 | $2,127 +6.8% | 1.06% |
| 2021 | $1,991 +8.3% | 1.07% |
| 2020 | $1,838 | 1.05% |
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.
Custer County: tax-to-income at 3.2%
Counties near Custer County's effective rate
On effective rate, Custer County sits nearest St. Louis city (MO), St. Louis County (MN), Mower County (MN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Hennepin County (MN), Clark County (NV), Ida County (IA).
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
Custer County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 180 of 5,530 returns from Custer County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,483 - 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 Montana
Custer County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Custer County?
- Custer County, Montana scores F (35/100) 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 C- (+$299). 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 Custer County, Montana?
- The median annual property tax in Custer County is $2,264, an effective rate of 1.03% on a $219,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Custer County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Custer County run notably higher than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.03% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Custer County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Custer County jumped 23.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,838 to $2,264, 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 Custer County?
- Property taxes in Custer County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.2% of the $70,605 median household income.
What to do with Custer County's PAR rate
At Custer County's 1.03% effective rate, a $219,100 home implies about $2,264/yr - plug in your own assessed value rather than quoting the county median. Estimate your bill →
Custer County ranks #7 of 56 Montana counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Montana overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Custer 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: 1.03%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,264/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Custer County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Custer County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Duval County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Custer County at $2,264/yr; rate 0.75% vs Custer County 1.03%.
Butte County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,265/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.93% vs Custer County 1.03%.
Glenn County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,263/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.64% vs Custer County 1.03%.
York County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,263/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.19% vs Custer County 1.03%.
Montana county set
State ACS overview for every published Montana county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Custer 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 Custer County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.