Montana · County property tax · ACS 2024
Flathead County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Flathead County pays $3,120 a year, an effective rate of 0.58%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,120
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.58%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- +57%
- vs U.S. average
- #39 of 56
- rank in MT
The verdict
Homeowners in Flathead County pay a median $3,120 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.58%, more affordable than 74% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,120
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.58%
- Effective rate on median home
- #816 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +57%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($535,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Montana. Population: 110,695. Owner-occupied homes: 32,008.
The median annual property tax in Flathead County is $3,120, which is 16% higher than the Montana state average and 57% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.58% on a median home value of $535,500. Property taxes represent 4.2% of the median household income in this county.
Flathead County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Flathead County's 0.58% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 74%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Flathead County pay a median annual property tax of $3,120, far above the national median and notably higher than the Montana state median. On a $535,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.58% 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 Flathead County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.2% of the $73,925 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Montana counties by effective rate
Flathead County ranks #39 of 56 counties in Montana by effective rate (30% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Flathead 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 Flathead County rose 81.8%, from $294,600 to $535,500. The effective rate fell 26.1% over the same span, a steeper move than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 34.3%, to $3,120. 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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 34% from $2,324 to $3,120. 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 heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 16,384 of 32,008 owner-occupied homes (51.2%) 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.
Incomes run above the national midpoint and the rate is in the lowest quarter, leaving the median bill at 4.2% of median household income. Both figures move in the same direction here, so the ratio above is not pulled in two directions the way it is in most counties.
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 Flathead County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Flathead County homeowners, 16,384 of 32,008 owner-occupied homes (51.2%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.3% (2,015)
- $800 to $1,499 7.6% (2,435)
- $1,500 to $1,999 8.5% (2,727)
- $2,000 to $2,999 23.0% (7,364)
- $3,000 or more 51.2% (16,384)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,083 homes here (3.4%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Montana handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Flathead County pay about the same bill, a 0% gap.
Flathead County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Flathead County's effective rate is higher than 30% of the 56 counties in Montana - ranking #39 of 56.
Where Flathead County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.58% Among the most affordable more affordable than 74% 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
A low rate, a bigger bill
Flathead County taxes property at 0.58%, roughly 19% below the Montana average, and still bills a median $3,120, about 16% above the state figure. Because the effective rate is the bill divided by the home's value, that combination means local home values run well ahead of the state norm: a gentler rate applied to a larger base.
Flathead County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Flathead County | Montana Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 4.2% | - | - |
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.
Flathead County is QUIET · HEAVY on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Montana counties.
Flathead County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,120 +8.8% | 0.58% |
| 2023 | $2,867 +5.1% | 0.61% |
| 2022 | $2,727 +10.0% | 0.66% |
| 2021 | $2,479 +6.7% | 0.74% |
| 2020 | $2,324 | 0.79% |
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.
Flathead County: tax takes 4.2% of income
Counties near Flathead County's effective rate
On effective rate, Flathead County sits nearest Bollinger County (MO), Pontotoc County (MS), Alcorn County (MS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Spokane County (WA), San Francisco County (CA), Marion 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
Flathead County: only 10% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 5,490 of 57,650 returns from Flathead County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,362 - 32% of those reporters sat in the $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 Montana
Flathead County rate FAQs
- How does Flathead County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Flathead County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.58% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Flathead County, Montana?
- The median annual property tax in Flathead County is $3,120, an effective rate of 0.58% on a $535,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Flathead County?
- Flathead County, Montana scores D (42/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-7). 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 Flathead County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Flathead County jumped 34.3% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,324 to $3,120, 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 Flathead County?
- Property taxes in Flathead County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.2% of the $73,925 median household income.
What to do with Flathead County's QUIET rate
Flathead County's $3,120 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Flathead County ranks #39 of 56 Montana counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Montana overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Flathead 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: 0.58%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,120/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Flathead County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Flathead County (QUIET · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET HEAVY
Chenango County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Flathead County at $3,120/yr; rate 2.26% vs Flathead County 0.58%.
Hall County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Flathead County at $3,120/yr; rate 1.39% vs Flathead County 0.58%.
Essex County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,119/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.47% vs Flathead County 0.58%.
Leelanau County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,118/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.68% vs Flathead County 0.58%.
Montana county set
State ACS overview for every published Montana county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Flathead County stamps QUIET · HEAVY - 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 Flathead County (QUIET · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.