South Dakota · County property tax · ACS 2024
Hughes County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Hughes County pays $2,659 a year, an effective rate of 1.10%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,659
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.10%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +33%
- vs U.S. average
- #25 of 66
- rank in SD
The verdict
Homeowners in Hughes County pay a median $2,659 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.10%, more affordable than 28% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,659
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.10%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2246 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +33%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($242,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Dakota. Population: 17,664. Owner-occupied homes: 5,221.
The median annual property tax in Hughes County is $2,659, which is 2% lower than the South Dakota state average and 33% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.10% on a median home value of $242,000. Property taxes represent 3.3% of the median household income in this county.
Hughes County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Hughes County's 1.10% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 28%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Hughes County pay a median annual property tax of $2,659, well above the national median and roughly in line with the South Dakota state median. On a $242,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.10% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of South Dakota counties by effective rate
Hughes County ranks #25 of 66 counties in South Dakota by effective rate (62% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Hughes County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.3% of the $81,395 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Hughes 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 8.1% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 67% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 33.4%, the median bill rose 22.6% to $2,659: 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
Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $2,169 to $2,659, a gain of 23%. 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: 2,134 of 5,221 owner-occupied homes (40.9%) 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.
Earnings are in the national top quarter and the rate is above the midpoint, so the median bill represents 3.3% of median household income. A headline bill conflates the dollar figure with the proportion; the two come apart here, and the ratio above is the second of them.
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 Hughes County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Hughes County homeowners, 2,134 of 5,221 owner-occupied homes (40.9%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 9.1% (475)
- $800 to $1,499 11.4% (595)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.5% (652)
- $2,000 to $2,999 24.8% (1,295)
- $3,000 or more 40.9% (2,134)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
70 homes here (1.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how South Dakota handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Hughes County, mortgaged homeowners pay 23% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Hughes County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Hughes County's effective rate is higher than 62% of the 66 counties in South Dakota - ranking #25 of 66.
Where Hughes County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.10% more affordable than 28% 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
Close to the South Dakota median on both measures
Rate and bill both land within 10% of the South Dakota medians here, which makes Hughes County a reasonable stand-in for the state when comparing against counties elsewhere. It also means the county-level figure adds little beyond the state figure for this particular comparison; the $2,659 median bill and the state median tell substantially the same story.
Hughes County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Hughes County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.3% | - | - |
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.
Hughes County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · South Dakota counties.
Hughes County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,659 +5.3% | 1.10% |
| 2023 | $2,526 +2.6% | 1.14% |
| 2022 | $2,462 +4.5% | 1.14% |
| 2021 | $2,356 +8.6% | 1.26% |
| 2020 | $2,169 | 1.20% |
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.
Hughes County: tax-to-income at 3.3%
Counties near Hughes County's effective rate
On effective rate, Hughes County sits nearest Northumberland County (PA), Franklin County (PA), Mercer County (OH).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Barnstable County (MA), Auglaize County (OH), St. Clair County (IL).
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
Hughes County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 220 of 8,700 returns from Hughes County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,705 - 32% 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 South Dakota
Hughes County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Hughes County?
- Hughes County, South Dakota scores F (29/100) 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 housing pressure at D (2.97×). 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 Hughes County, South Dakota?
- The median annual property tax in Hughes County is $2,659, an effective rate of 1.10% on a $242,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Hughes County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Hughes County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.10% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Hughes County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Hughes County jumped 22.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,169 to $2,659, 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 Hughes County?
- Property taxes in Hughes County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.3% of the $81,395 median household income.
What to do with Hughes County's PAR rate
Hughes County's $2,659 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Hughes County ranks #25 of 66 South Dakota counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. South Dakota overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Hughes 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: 1.10%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,659/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Hughes County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Hughes County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Marquette County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Hughes County at $2,659/yr; rate 1.26% vs Hughes County 1.10%.
Llano County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,658/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.75% vs Hughes County 1.10%.
Clarke County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,657/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.48% vs Hughes County 1.10%.
Woodbury County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,656/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.45% vs Hughes County 1.10%.
South Dakota county set
State ACS overview for every published South Dakota county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Hughes 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 Hughes County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.