Wisconsin · County property tax · ACS 2024
Iowa County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Iowa County pays $4,038 a year, an effective rate of 1.52%, far above the U.S. average.
- $4,038
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 1.52%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +103%
- vs U.S. average
- #14 of 72
- rank in WI
The verdict
Homeowners in Iowa County pay a median $4,038 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.52%, more affordable than 10% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $4,038
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.52%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2821 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +103%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($265,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Iowa County, WI
20/100
5 ACS dimensions · release 2024
Comparative score against U.S. county percentiles on Census ACS medians (effective rate, bill, income share, mortgage gap, home-value/income). Higher means more affordable on those published medians, not a recommendation to buy, sell, appeal, or move, and not your personal tax bill. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Iowa County
Median home value relative to Iowa County's median income
Iowa County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Iowa County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Median tax as a share of Iowa County's median household income
Read the chart values
- Mortgage premium: 70/100 (B) · +$160
- Housing pressure: 40/100 (F) · 3.22×
- Rate relief: 10/100 (F) · 1.52%
- Bill size: 6/100 (F) · $4,038/yr
- Income room: 5/100 (F) · 4.9%
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Wisconsin. Population: 23,867. Owner-occupied homes: 7,828.
The median annual property tax in Iowa County is $4,038, which is 6% higher than the Wisconsin state average and 103% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.52% on a median home value of $265,000. Property taxes represent 4.9% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Iowa County
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Iowa County pay a median annual property tax of $4,038, far above the national median and modestly above the Wisconsin state median. On a $265,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.52% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
The effective rate is a national headwind
Iowa County's 1.52% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 90% pay more.
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Iowa County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.9% of the $82,182 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Low among Wisconsin counties by effective rate
Iowa County ranks #14 of 72 counties in Wisconsin by effective rate (81% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Iowa County as reported to the Census Bureau, your own bill can differ based on your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, special districts, and municipal overlays. Always consult your county assessor, tax collector, or a qualified professional before making decisions that depend on these numbers.
A falling rate took the edge off
Iowa County's effective rate fell 15.2% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 36.2%, leaving the median bill 15.5% higher at $4,038. That rate move is larger than the one in 64% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
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 $3,495 to $4,038, a gain of 16%. 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: 5,505 of 7,828 owner-occupied homes (70.3%) 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.
Both figures are in the national top quarter, and the median bill still equals only 4.9% of median household income. A high rate on high earnings produces a large dollar figure, and only the dollar figure tends to get quoted; the ratio above is the other half.
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 Iowa County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Iowa County homeowners, 5,505 of 7,828 owner-occupied homes (70.3%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 2.8% (217)
- $800 to $1,499 4.6% (360)
- $1,500 to $1,999 4.6% (363)
- $2,000 to $2,999 16.7% (1,305)
- $3,000 or more 70.3% (5,505)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Iowa County pay about the same bill, a 4% gap.
How Iowa County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Iowa County's effective rate is higher than 81% of the 72 counties in Wisconsin - ranking #14 of 72 for property tax burden.
Where Iowa County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.52% more affordable than 10% 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 highest-taxed counties in the country
At 1.52%, Iowa County sits in the top 10% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. That is the rate, not the bill: a high rate on a modest home can still produce a smaller cheque than a low rate on an expensive one, which is why the $4,038 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Iowa County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Iowa County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Highest-decile bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 4.9% | - | - |
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.
Iowa County's STEEP · HEAVY lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Iowa County's published figures (STEEP · HEAVY), a $265,000 median home carries a $4,038 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $404 a year at the same rate. Whether an appeal is worth filing depends on your own parcel. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to run your own numbers, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the procedure in Wisconsin.
Property Tax History · STEEP · HEAVY
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,038 +4.5% | 1.52% |
| 2023 | $3,864 +2.7% | 1.56% |
| 2022 | $3,763 +4.6% | 1.63% |
| 2021 | $3,597 +2.9% | 1.77% |
| 2020 | $3,495 | 1.80% |
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.
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate far above the national average of 0.92% puts Iowa County in the "Expensive" band for property tax burden.
How this score is calculated: a 1-10 scale derived mechanically from the ratio of this county's effective rate to the national average effective rate (0.92%) - a ratio at or below 0.5× scores 10, a ratio at or above 2.0× scores 1, with a linear scale between. It is a factual comparison of Census figures only, not a recommendation, quality rating, or endorsement of Iowa County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Iowa County sits nearest Wharton County (TX), Montgomery County (TX), Bailey County (TX).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Forrest County (MS), Lake County (IL), Greene County (NY).
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
What tax filers report in Iowa County
Of the 12,160 federal returns filed from Iowa County in 2022, 610 (5.0% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $6,208 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 30% of the county's reporting returns.
Two things this does not say. The amount is what filers reported, recorded before the $10,000 cap on combined state and local tax deductions applies, so it is not the amount deducted. And the share is of everyone who files a return, not of homeowners: most filers now take the standard deduction, so a minority itemise at all. Source: IRS Statistics of Income county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Wisconsin
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Iowa County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Iowa County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Iowa County, Wisconsin? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Iowa County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Iowa County? ▼
What to do with Iowa County's numbers
- Iowa County's $4,038 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
- Iowa County ranks #14 of 72 Wisconsin counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Wisconsin overview →
- If Iowa County's assessment looks high versus the $265,000 typical home, check Wisconsin's filing window and evidence rules before the notice deadline passes. How to appeal →
Effective-rate definition
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($265,000); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
Nationwide peers by effective rate & median bill
Two PlainPropertyTax-derived comparison paths for Iowa County, both outside Wisconsin so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice. Axes stay disjoint: median-bill peers exclude the effective-rate peer set.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.52%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $4,038/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Iowa County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Iowa County (STEEP · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP HEAVY
Berkshire County, MA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $4,036/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.32% vs Iowa County 1.52%.
Walworth County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $4,036/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.33% vs Iowa County 1.52%.
Fulton County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $4,033/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 0.88% vs Iowa County 1.52%.
Waller County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $4,046/yr (near-tied bill ABS $8); rate 1.27% vs Iowa County 1.52%.
Wisconsin county set
State ACS overview for every published Wisconsin county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Iowa County stamps STEEP · HEAVY - review notice deadlines before quoting the ACS median.
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.
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Editorial standards and provenance
PlainPropertyTax is rendered directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on the Census ACS county-level record for Iowa County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.