Colorado · County property tax · ACS 2024
El Paso County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in El Paso County pays $1,874 a year, an effective rate of 0.41%, modestly below the U.S. average.
- $1,874
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.41%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -6%
- vs U.S. average
- #27 of 64
- rank in CO
The verdict
Homeowners in El Paso County pay a median $1,874 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.41%, more affordable than 92% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,874
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.41%
- Effective rate on median home
- #246 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -6%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($461,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Colorado. Population: 742,999. Owner-occupied homes: 192,232.
The median annual property tax in El Paso County is $1,874, which is 28% lower than the Colorado state average and 6% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.41% on a median home value of $461,000. Property taxes represent 2.1% of the median household income in this county.
El Paso County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
El Paso County's 0.41% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 92% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Colorado median
Homeowners in El Paso County pay a median annual property tax of $1,874, modestly below the national median and well below the Colorado state median. On a $461,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.41% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in El Paso County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.1% of the $90,363 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Colorado counties by effective rate
El Paso County ranks #27 of 64 counties in Colorado by effective rate (58% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in El Paso 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 9.1% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 64% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 53.6%, the median bill rose 39.6% to $1,874: 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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 40% from $1,342 to $1,874. These ACS medians describe the reported change; they do not identify whether a levy, assessment, home value, or change in the responding households caused it.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 49,499 of 192,232 owner-occupied homes (25.7%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
The most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 2.1% of median household income. Home values still drive the dollar figure, which is why the ratio above varies widely among counties that share this position.
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 El Paso County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of El Paso County homeowners, 49,499 of 192,232 owner-occupied homes (25.7%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 9.9% (19,043)
- $800 to $1,499 25.7% (49,499)
- $1,500 to $1,999 17.4% (33,481)
- $2,000 to $2,999 20.0% (38,456)
- $3,000 or more 24.3% (46,678)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
5,075 homes here (2.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Colorado handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In El Paso County, mortgaged homeowners pay 12% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
El Paso County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
El Paso County's effective rate is higher than 58% of the 64 counties in Colorado - ranking #27 of 64.
Where El Paso County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.41% Among the most affordable more affordable than 92% 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 lowest-taxed counties in the country
At 0.41%, El Paso County sits in the lowest 8% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. A low rate does not by itself mean a low bill: the median here is $1,874, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
El Paso County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | El Paso County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.1% | - | - |
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.
El Paso County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Colorado counties.
El Paso County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,874 +5.7% | 0.41% |
| 2023 | $1,773 +8.8% | 0.41% |
| 2022 | $1,629 +12.4% | 0.42% |
| 2021 | $1,449 +8.0% | 0.44% |
| 2020 | $1,342 | 0.45% |
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.
El Paso County: tax-to-income at 2.1%
Counties near El Paso County's effective rate
On effective rate, El Paso County sits nearest Polk County (AR), Madison County (AR), Yavapai County (AZ).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Brule County (SD), Atchison County (MO), Ravalli County (MT).
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
El Paso County: only 8% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 28,010 of 361,510 returns from El Paso County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,365 - 38% 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 Colorado
El Paso County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in El Paso County, Colorado?
- The median annual property tax in El Paso County is $1,874, an effective rate of 0.41% on a $461,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for El Paso County?
- El Paso County, Colorado scores C+ (62/100) 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 rate relief at A+ (0.41%). 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.
- Are property taxes increasing in El Paso County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for El Paso County jumped 39.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,342 to $1,874, 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.
- How does El Paso County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in El Paso County run modestly below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.41% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in El Paso County?
- Property taxes in El Paso County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.1% of the $90,363 median household income.
What to do with El Paso County's QUIET rate
Inside Colorado, El Paso County's $1,874 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Colorado overview →
El Paso County ranks #27 of 64 Colorado counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Colorado overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for El Paso 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: 0.41%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,874/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with El Paso County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for El Paso County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Dixon County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with El Paso County at $1,874/yr; rate 1.20% vs El Paso County 0.41%.
Milam County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,875/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.99% vs El Paso County 0.41%.
Harlan County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,876/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.29% vs El Paso County 0.41%.
Montcalm County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,876/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.01% vs El Paso County 0.41%.
Colorado county set
State ACS overview for every published Colorado county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
El Paso County stamps QUIET · 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 El Paso County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.