Hawaii · County property tax · ACS 2024
Honolulu County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Honolulu County pays $2,553 a year, an effective rate of 0.28%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,553
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.28%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- +28%
- vs U.S. average
- #2 of 4
- rank in HI
The verdict
Homeowners in Honolulu County pay a median $2,553 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.28%, more affordable than 99% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,553
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.28%
- Effective rate on median home
- #42 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +28%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($897,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Hawaii. Population: 1,001,146. Owner-occupied homes: 202,604.
The median annual property tax in Honolulu County is $2,553, which is 14% higher than the Hawaii state average and 28% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.28% on a median home value of $897,500. Property taxes represent 2.4% of the median household income in this county.
Honolulu County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Honolulu County's 0.28% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 99% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Honolulu County pay a median annual property tax of $2,553, well above the national median and notably higher than the Hawaii state median. On a $897,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.28% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Hawaii counties by effective rate
Honolulu County ranks #2 of 4 counties in Hawaii by effective rate (50% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Honolulu County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $106,195 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Honolulu 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
Honolulu County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 4.8% down, against a median home value that rose 27.8%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 21.7%, from $2,098 to $2,553.
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 $2,098 to $2,553, a gain of 22%. 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: 73,732 of 202,604 owner-occupied homes (36.4%) 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 Honolulu County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Honolulu County homeowners, 73,732 of 202,604 owner-occupied homes (36.4%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 8.7% (17,635)
- $800 to $1,499 14.6% (29,571)
- $1,500 to $1,999 10.6% (21,563)
- $2,000 to $2,999 23.1% (46,900)
- $3,000 or more 36.4% (73,732)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
13,203 homes here (6.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Hawaii handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Honolulu County pay about the same bill, within a 5% gap either way.
Honolulu County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Honolulu County's effective rate is higher than 50% of the 4 counties in Hawaii - ranking #2 of 4.
Where Honolulu County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.28% Among the most affordable more affordable than 99% 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 0.28%, Honolulu County sits in the lowest 1% 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 $2,553, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Honolulu County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Honolulu County | Hawaii Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High 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.
Honolulu County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Hawaii counties.
Honolulu County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,553 +2.9% | 0.28% |
| 2023 | $2,482 +4.8% | 0.28% |
| 2022 | $2,368 +7.4% | 0.28% |
| 2021 | $2,205 +5.1% | 0.30% |
| 2020 | $2,098 | 0.30% |
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.
Honolulu County: tax-to-income at 2.4%
Counties near Honolulu County's effective rate
On effective rate, Honolulu County sits nearest Ouray County (CO), Huerfano County (CO), Marion County (AL).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Franklin County (AR), Modoc County (CA), Cheboygan County (MI).
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
Honolulu County: only 11% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 51,970 of 476,670 returns from Honolulu County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,790 - 42% 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 Hawaii
Honolulu County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Honolulu County, Hawaii?
- The median annual property tax in Honolulu County is $2,553, an effective rate of 0.28% on a $897,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Honolulu County?
- Honolulu County, Hawaii scores C+ (63/100) 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+ (0.28%). 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.
- How does Honolulu County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Honolulu County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.28% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Honolulu County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Honolulu County jumped 21.7% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,098 to $2,553, 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 Honolulu County?
- Property taxes in Honolulu County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $106,195 median household income.
What to do with Honolulu County's QUIET rate
Honolulu County's $2,553 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Honolulu County ranks #2 of 4 Hawaii counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Hawaii overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Honolulu 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: 0.28%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,553/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Honolulu County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Honolulu County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Douglas County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,554/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.70% vs Honolulu County 0.28%.
Campbell County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,556/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.01% vs Honolulu County 0.28%.
Lincoln County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,549/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.32% vs Honolulu County 0.28%.
Portsmouth city, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,557/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.04% vs Honolulu County 0.28%.
Hawaii county set
State ACS overview for every published Hawaii county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Honolulu 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 Honolulu County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.