Indiana · County property tax · ACS 2024
DeKalb County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in DeKalb County pays $1,205 a year, an effective rate of 0.62%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,205
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.62%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- -40%
- vs U.S. average
- #59 of 92
- rank in IN
The verdict
Homeowners in DeKalb County pay a median $1,205 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.62%, more affordable than 69% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,205
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.62%
- Effective rate on median home
- #974 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -40%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($194,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Indiana. Population: 43,807. Owner-occupied homes: 14,029.
The median annual property tax in DeKalb County is $1,205, which is 25% lower than the Indiana state average and 40% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.62% on a median home value of $194,100. Property taxes represent 1.6% of the median household income in this county.
DeKalb County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
DeKalb County's 0.62% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 69%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in DeKalb County pay a median annual property tax of $1,205, well below the national median and well below the Indiana state median. On a $194,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.62% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in DeKalb County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.6% of the $74,331 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Indiana counties by effective rate
DeKalb County ranks #59 of 92 counties in Indiana by effective rate (36% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County rose 50.3%, from $129,100 to $194,100. The effective rate fell 18.0% over the same span, a steeper move than in 76% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 23.3%, to $1,205. 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 $977 to $1,205, 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 fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 4,316 of 14,029 owner-occupied homes (30.8%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Above-median earnings meet a slightly-below-median rate, and the median bill amounts to 1.6% of median household income. That is the comfortable middle of this dataset, and comfortable middles are easy to overlook when only rankings get published.
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 DeKalb County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of DeKalb County homeowners, 4,316 of 14,029 owner-occupied homes (30.8%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 30.7% (4,312)
- $800 to $1,499 30.8% (4,316)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.2% (1,711)
- $2,000 to $2,999 13.8% (1,940)
- $3,000 or more 8.8% (1,240)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
510 homes here (3.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Indiana handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in DeKalb County pay about the same bill, within a 3% gap either way.
DeKalb County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
DeKalb County's effective rate is higher than 36% of the 92 counties in Indiana - ranking #59 of 92.
Where DeKalb County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.62% Among the most affordable more affordable than 69% 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 Indiana on both measures
DeKalb County's effective rate runs 16% under the Indiana median and its bill 25% 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 $1,205 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Indiana norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
DeKalb County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | DeKalb County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Light income burden | 1.6% | - | - |
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.
DeKalb County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Indiana counties.
DeKalb County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,205 +7.9% | 0.62% |
| 2023 | $1,117 +4.4% | 0.63% |
| 2022 | $1,070 +9.4% | 0.68% |
| 2021 | $978 +0.1% | 0.72% |
| 2020 | $977 | 0.76% |
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.
DeKalb County: tax takes only 1.6% of income
Counties near DeKalb County's effective rate
On effective rate, DeKalb County sits nearest Jefferson County (FL), Dixie County (FL), Tehama County (CA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Greenwood County (KS), Shelby County (OH), Pike County (KY).
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
DeKalb County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 640 of 21,610 returns from DeKalb County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,180 - 34% of those reporters sat in the $100-200k AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Indiana
DeKalb County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for DeKalb County?
- DeKalb County, Indiana scores B+ (75/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-31). 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 DeKalb County, Indiana?
- The median annual property tax in DeKalb County is $1,205, an effective rate of 0.62% on a $194,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does DeKalb County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in DeKalb County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.62% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in DeKalb County?
- Property taxes in DeKalb County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.6% of the $74,331 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in DeKalb County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for DeKalb County jumped 23.3% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $977 to $1,205, 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 DeKalb County's QUIET rate
DeKalb County's $1,205 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 →
Income burden is light here: about 1.6% of DeKalb County's $74,331 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for DeKalb 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: 0.62%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,205/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with DeKalb County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for DeKalb County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Pembina County, ND
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with DeKalb County at $1,205/yr; rate 1.01% vs DeKalb County 0.62%.
Montgomery County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,204/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.04% vs DeKalb County 0.62%.
Pawnee County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,206/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.52% vs DeKalb County 0.62%.
Pike County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,206/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.78% vs DeKalb County 0.62%.
Indiana county set
State ACS overview for every published Indiana county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
DeKalb 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 DeKalb County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.