Colorado · County property tax · ACS 2024
Garfield County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Garfield County pays $2,201 a year, an effective rate of 0.42%, notably higher than the U.S. average.
- $2,201
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.42%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- +10%
- vs U.S. average
- #26 of 64
- rank in CO
The verdict
Homeowners in Garfield County pay a median $2,201 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.42%, more affordable than 92% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,201
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.42%
- Effective rate on median home
- #265 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +10%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($527,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Colorado. Population: 62,479. Owner-occupied homes: 16,292.
The median annual property tax in Garfield County is $2,201, which is 15% lower than the Colorado state average and 10% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.42% on a median home value of $527,800. Property taxes represent 2.4% of the median household income in this county.
Garfield County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Garfield County's 0.42% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 92% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill is near the usual comparison points
Homeowners in Garfield County pay a median annual property tax of $2,201, notably higher than the national median and notably lower than the Colorado state median. On a $527,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.42% 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 Garfield County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $91,131 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Colorado counties by effective rate
Garfield County ranks #26 of 64 counties in Colorado by effective rate (59% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Garfield 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 held while the market moved
Garfield County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 4.0% down, against a median home value that rose 40.5%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 34.9%, from $1,631 to $2,201.
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 35% from $1,631 to $2,201. 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: 4,742 of 16,292 owner-occupied homes (29.1%) 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 most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 2.4% 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 Garfield County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Garfield County homeowners, 4,742 of 16,292 owner-occupied homes (29.1%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 14.1% (2,297)
- $800 to $1,499 15.4% (2,505)
- $1,500 to $1,999 13.6% (2,214)
- $2,000 to $2,999 23.3% (3,798)
- $3,000 or more 29.1% (4,742)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
736 homes here (4.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Colorado handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Garfield County, mortgaged homeowners pay 21% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Garfield County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Garfield County's effective rate is higher than 59% of the 64 counties in Colorado - ranking #26 of 64.
Where Garfield County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.42% 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 0.42%, Garfield 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 $2,201, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Garfield County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Garfield 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 | 2.4% | - | - |
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.
Garfield County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Colorado counties.
Garfield County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,201 +5.1% | 0.42% |
| 2023 | $2,095 +6.8% | 0.43% |
| 2022 | $1,961 +11.5% | 0.44% |
| 2021 | $1,759 +7.8% | 0.46% |
| 2020 | $1,631 | 0.43% |
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.
Garfield County: tax-to-income at 2.4%
Counties near Garfield County's effective rate
On effective rate, Garfield County sits nearest Howard County (AR), Calhoun County (AL), Red River Parish (LA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Jefferson County (AR), Luna County (NM), Douglas County (WA).
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
Garfield County: only 9% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 2,710 of 31,340 returns from Garfield County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,523 - 34% 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 Colorado
Garfield County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Garfield County?
- Garfield County, Colorado scores C- (53/100) 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+ (0.42%). 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 Garfield County, Colorado?
- The median annual property tax in Garfield County is $2,201, an effective rate of 0.42% on a $527,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Garfield County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Garfield County jumped 34.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,631 to $2,201, 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 Garfield County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Garfield County run notably higher than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.42% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Garfield County?
- Property taxes in Garfield County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $91,131 median household income.
What to do with Garfield County's QUIET rate
At Garfield County's 0.42% effective rate, a $527,800 home implies about $2,201/yr - plug in your own assessed value rather than quoting the county median. Estimate your bill →
Garfield County ranks #26 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 Garfield 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: 0.42%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,201/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Garfield County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Garfield County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Lapeer County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,202/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.92% vs Garfield County 0.42%.
Guthrie County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,199/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.22% vs Garfield County 0.42%.
Colorado County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,204/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.05% vs Garfield County 0.42%.
Palo Pinto County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,204/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.11% vs Garfield County 0.42%.
Colorado county set
State ACS overview for every published Colorado county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Garfield 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 Garfield County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.