Nebraska · County property tax · ACS 2024
Dawson County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Dawson County pays $2,172 a year, an effective rate of 1.31%, modestly above the U.S. average.
- $2,172
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.31%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +9%
- vs U.S. average
- #38 of 93
- rank in NE
The verdict
Homeowners in Dawson County pay a median $2,172 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.31%, more affordable than 18% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,172
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.31%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2558 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +9%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($166,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Nebraska. Population: 24,202. Owner-occupied homes: 6,068.
The median annual property tax in Dawson County is $2,172, which is 39% lower than the Nebraska state average and 9% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.31% on a median home value of $166,200. Property taxes represent 3.1% of the median household income in this county.
Dawson County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Dawson County's 1.31% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 18%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Nebraska median
Homeowners in Dawson County pay a median annual property tax of $2,172, modestly above the national median and well below the Nebraska state median. On a $166,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.31% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Nebraska counties by effective rate
Dawson County ranks #38 of 93 counties in Nebraska by effective rate (59% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Dawson County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.1% of the $69,880 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Dawson 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 gave way faster than almost anywhere
Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Dawson County rose 46.2%, from $113,700 to $166,200. The effective rate fell 19.9% over the same span, a steeper move than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 17.2%, to $2,172. Where the rate drops this far and the bill rises anyway, what changed is the value the rate is applied to.
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 $1,854 to $2,172, a gain of 17%. 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: 1,708 of 6,068 owner-occupied homes (28.1%) 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 3.1% 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 Dawson County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Dawson County homeowners, 1,708 of 6,068 owner-occupied homes (28.1%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 10.6% (642)
- $800 to $1,499 17.5% (1,064)
- $1,500 to $1,999 15.2% (925)
- $2,000 to $2,999 23.2% (1,405)
- $3,000 or more 28.1% (1,708)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
324 homes here (5.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Nebraska handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Dawson County pay a substantially higher bill, 34% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
Dawson County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Dawson County's effective rate is higher than 59% of the 93 counties in Nebraska - ranking #38 of 93.
Where Dawson County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.31% more affordable than 18% 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
Dawson County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Dawson County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.1% | - | - |
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.
Dawson County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Dawson County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $166,200 median home carries a $2,172 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $217 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Nebraska.
Dawson County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,172 +9.2% | 1.31% |
| 2023 | $1,989 +6.3% | 1.26% |
| 2022 | $1,872 +1.9% | 1.37% |
| 2021 | $1,837 -0.9% | 1.49% |
| 2020 | $1,854 | 1.63% |
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.
Dawson County: tax-to-income at 3.1%
Counties near Dawson County's effective rate
On effective rate, Dawson County sits nearest Shiawassee County (MI), Saline County (KS), Benton County (IA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Washburn County (WI), Penobscot County (ME), Van Buren County (AR).
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
Dawson County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 260 of 11,870 returns from Dawson County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,319 - 27% 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 Nebraska
Dawson County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Dawson County?
- Dawson County, Nebraska scores F (31/100) 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 B+ (2.38×). 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 Dawson County, Nebraska?
- The median annual property tax in Dawson County is $2,172, an effective rate of 1.31% on a $166,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Dawson County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Dawson County run modestly above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.31% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Dawson County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Dawson County climbed 17.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,854 to $2,172, 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 Dawson County?
- Property taxes in Dawson County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.1% of the $69,880 median household income.
What to do with Dawson County's STEEP rate
Inside Nebraska, Dawson County's $2,172 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Nebraska overview →
Dawson County ranks #38 of 93 Nebraska counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Nebraska overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Dawson 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: 1.31%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,172/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Dawson County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Dawson County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Sherman County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,171/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.59% vs Dawson County 1.31%.
Uvalde County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,173/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.44% vs Dawson County 1.31%.
Wicomico County, MD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,171/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.85% vs Dawson County 1.31%.
Beaufort County, SC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,174/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.48% vs Dawson County 1.31%.
Nebraska county set
State ACS overview for every published Nebraska county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Dawson 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 Dawson County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.