Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Des Moines County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Des Moines County pays $2,058 a year, an effective rate of 1.51%, modestly above the U.S. average.
- $2,058
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.51%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +3%
- vs U.S. average
- #13 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Des Moines County pay a median $2,058 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.51%, more affordable than 10% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,058
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.51%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2808 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +3%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($136,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 38,487. Owner-occupied homes: 12,823.
The median annual property tax in Des Moines County is $2,058, which is 29% lower than the Iowa state average and 3% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.51% on a median home value of $136,500. Property taxes represent 3.3% of the median household income in this county.
Des Moines County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Des Moines County's 1.51% 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
Des Moines County ranks #13 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (87% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits below the Iowa median
Homeowners in Des Moines County pay a median annual property tax of $2,058, modestly above the national median and well below the Iowa state median. On a $136,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.51% 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 Des Moines County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.3% of the $62,928 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Des Moines 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 9.6% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 62% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 22.3%, the median bill rose 10.6% to $2,058: 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 $1,861 to $2,058, a gain of 11%. 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: 3,623 of 12,823 owner-occupied homes (28.3%) 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.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 3.3% of median household income. A rate ranking places this county by the rate alone; the ratio above is the figure that accounts for what is earned 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 Des Moines County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Des Moines County homeowners, 3,623 of 12,823 owner-occupied homes (28.3%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 9.2% (1,175)
- $800 to $1,499 20.6% (2,639)
- $1,500 to $1,999 17.4% (2,226)
- $2,000 to $2,999 21.3% (2,734)
- $3,000 or more 28.3% (3,623)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
426 homes here (3.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Des Moines County, mortgaged homeowners pay 17% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Des Moines County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Des Moines County's effective rate is higher than 87% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #13 of 99.
Where Des Moines County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.51% more affordable than 10% 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
Among the highest-taxed counties in the country
At 1.51%, Des Moines 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 $2,058 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Des Moines County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Des Moines County | Iowa 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 | 3.3% | - | - |
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.
Des Moines County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Des Moines County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $136,500 median home carries a $2,058 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $206 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.
Des Moines County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,058 -1.9% | 1.51% |
| 2023 | $2,097 +1.0% | 1.53% |
| 2022 | $2,077 +6.5% | 1.54% |
| 2021 | $1,951 +4.8% | 1.63% |
| 2020 | $1,861 | 1.67% |
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.
Des Moines County: tax-to-income at 3.3%
Counties near Des Moines County's effective rate
On effective rate, Des Moines County sits nearest Chautauqua County (KS), Grant County (KS), Harvey County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Cheshire County (NH), Bledsoe County (TN), Runnels County (TX).
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
Des Moines County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 660 of 18,480 returns from Des Moines County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,670 - 33% 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
Des Moines County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Des Moines County?
- Des Moines County, Iowa scores F (33/100) 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 A- (2.17×). 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 Des Moines County, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Des Moines County is $2,058, an effective rate of 1.51% on a $136,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Des Moines County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Des Moines County run modestly above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.51% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Des Moines County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Des Moines County climbed 10.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,861 to $2,058, 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 Des Moines County?
- Property taxes in Des Moines County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.3% of the $62,928 median household income.
What to do with Des Moines County's STEEP rate
Inside Iowa, Des Moines County's $2,058 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Iowa overview →
Des Moines County ranks #13 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 Des Moines 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: 1.51%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,058/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Des Moines County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Des Moines County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Clark County, NV
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,057/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.48% vs Des Moines County 1.51%.
Hancock County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,059/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.81% vs Des Moines County 1.51%.
Clay County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,055/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.32% vs Des Moines County 1.51%.
Newaygo County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,055/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.10% vs Des Moines County 1.51%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Des Moines 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 Des Moines County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.