Wisconsin · County property tax · ACS 2024
Douglas County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Douglas County pays $2,599 a year, an effective rate of 1.26%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,599
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.26%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +30%
- vs U.S. average
- #50 of 72
- rank in WI
The verdict
Homeowners in Douglas County pay a median $2,599 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.26%, more affordable than 21% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,599
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.26%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2487 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +30%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($205,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Wisconsin. Population: 44,229. Owner-occupied homes: 13,774.
The median annual property tax in Douglas County is $2,599, which is 31% lower than the Wisconsin state average and 30% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.26% on a median home value of $205,800. Property taxes represent 3.5% of the median household income in this county.
Douglas County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Douglas County's 1.26% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 21%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Douglas County pay a median annual property tax of $2,599, well above the national median and well below the Wisconsin state median. On a $205,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.26% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Wisconsin counties by effective rate
Douglas County ranks #50 of 72 counties in Wisconsin by effective rate (31% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Douglas County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.5% of the $75,099 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Douglas 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 Douglas County rose 38.0%, from $149,100 to $205,800. The effective rate fell 22.0% over the same span, a steeper move than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 7.7%, to $2,599. 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
Very little moved here between 2020 and 2024: the typical bill went from $2,413 to $2,599, a change of 8%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 5,003 of 13,774 owner-occupied homes (36.3%) 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.
The rate is in the national top quarter while earnings are only moderately above the midpoint, so the median bill claims 3.5% 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 Douglas County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Douglas County homeowners, 5,003 of 13,774 owner-occupied homes (36.3%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 4.3% (598)
- $800 to $1,499 12.5% (1,716)
- $1,500 to $1,999 13.2% (1,823)
- $2,000 to $2,999 31.6% (4,355)
- $3,000 or more 36.3% (5,003)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
279 homes here (2.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Wisconsin handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Douglas County pay about the same bill, a 4% gap.
Douglas County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Douglas County's effective rate is higher than 31% of the 72 counties in Wisconsin - ranking #50 of 72.
Where Douglas County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.26% more affordable than 21% 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
Douglas County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Douglas County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High 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.
Douglas County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Wisconsin counties.
Douglas County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,599 +1.4% | 1.26% |
| 2023 | $2,564 +0.6% | 1.35% |
| 2022 | $2,548 +3.0% | 1.46% |
| 2021 | $2,473 +2.5% | 1.59% |
| 2020 | $2,413 | 1.62% |
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.
Douglas County: tax-to-income at 3.5%
Counties near Douglas County's effective rate
On effective rate, Douglas County sits nearest Hamilton County (TX), Hall County (TX), Collingsworth County (TX).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Venango County (PA), Palo Alto County (IA), Nantucket County (MA).
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
Douglas County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 700 of 21,270 returns from Douglas County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,924 - 36% 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 Wisconsin
Douglas County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Douglas County?
- Douglas County, Wisconsin scores F (34/100) 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+ (+$106). 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 Douglas County, Wisconsin?
- The median annual property tax in Douglas County is $2,599, an effective rate of 1.26% on a $205,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Douglas County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Douglas County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.26% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Douglas County?
- Property taxes in Douglas County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.5% of the $75,099 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Douglas County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Douglas County ticked up 7.7% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,413 to $2,599, 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 Douglas County's PAR rate
Douglas County's $2,599 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Douglas County ranks #50 of 72 Wisconsin counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Wisconsin overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Douglas 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: 1.26%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,599/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Douglas County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Douglas County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Seminole County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Douglas County at $2,599/yr; rate 0.67% vs Douglas County 1.26%.
Brown County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,598/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.18% vs Douglas County 1.26%.
Jefferson County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,600/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.53% vs Douglas County 1.26%.
Whiteside County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,598/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 2.04% vs Douglas County 1.26%.
Wisconsin county set
State ACS overview for every published Wisconsin county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Douglas 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 Douglas County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.