Illinois · County property tax · ACS 2024
Jefferson County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Jefferson County pays $2,148 a year, an effective rate of 1.70%, modestly above the U.S. average.
- $2,148
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.70%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +8%
- vs U.S. average
- #64 of 102
- rank in IL
The verdict
Homeowners in Jefferson County pay a median $2,148 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.70%, more affordable than 6% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,148
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.70%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2948 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +8%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($126,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Illinois. Population: 36,550. Owner-occupied homes: 10,623.
The median annual property tax in Jefferson County is $2,148, which is 59% lower than the Illinois state average and 8% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.70% on a median home value of $126,000. Property taxes represent 3.4% of the median household income in this county.
Jefferson County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Jefferson County's 1.70% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 94% pay more.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Illinois median
Homeowners in Jefferson County pay a median annual property tax of $2,148, modestly above the national median and far below the Illinois state median. On a $126,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.70% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Illinois counties by effective rate
Jefferson County ranks #64 of 102 counties in Illinois by effective rate (37% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Jefferson County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.4% of the $63,118 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Jefferson 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
Jefferson County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 3.5% down, against a median home value that rose 29.8%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 25.2%, from $1,716 to $2,148.
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 25% from $1,716 to $2,148. 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: 3,257 of 10,623 owner-occupied homes (30.7%) 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.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 3.4% of median household income. A rate ranking places this county by the rate alone; the ratio above is the figure that accounts for what is earned here.
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 Jefferson County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Jefferson County homeowners, 3,257 of 10,623 owner-occupied homes (30.7%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 22.9% (2,430)
- $800 to $1,499 14.0% (1,483)
- $1,500 to $1,999 7.6% (803)
- $2,000 to $2,999 19.5% (2,074)
- $3,000 or more 30.7% (3,257)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
576 homes here (5.4%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Illinois handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Jefferson County pay a substantially higher bill, 54% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
Jefferson County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Jefferson County's effective rate is higher than 37% of the 102 counties in Illinois - ranking #64 of 102.
Where Jefferson County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.70% more affordable than 6% 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 1.70%, Jefferson County sits in the top 6% 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 $2,148 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Jefferson County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Jefferson County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.4% | - | - |
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.
Jefferson County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Jefferson County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $126,000 median home carries a $2,148 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $215 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Illinois.
Jefferson County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,148 +6.0% | 1.70% |
| 2023 | $2,026 +2.4% | 1.71% |
| 2022 | $1,978 +7.6% | 1.72% |
| 2021 | $1,838 +7.1% | 1.80% |
| 2020 | $1,716 | 1.77% |
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.
Jefferson County: tax-to-income at 3.4%
Counties near Jefferson County's effective rate
On effective rate, Jefferson County sits nearest Barber County (KS), Cloud County (KS), Norton County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Harmon County (OK), Lumpkin County (GA), Mitchell County (KS).
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
Jefferson County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 440 of 16,340 returns from Jefferson County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,198 - 39% 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 Illinois
Jefferson County rate FAQs
- How does Jefferson County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Jefferson County run modestly above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.70% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Jefferson County?
- Jefferson County, Illinois scores F (25/100) 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 A (2.00×). 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 Jefferson County, Illinois?
- The median annual property tax in Jefferson County is $2,148, an effective rate of 1.70% on a $126,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Jefferson County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Jefferson County jumped 25.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,716 to $2,148, 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 Jefferson County?
- Property taxes in Jefferson County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.4% of the $63,118 median household income.
What to do with Jefferson County's STEEP rate
Inside Illinois, Jefferson County's $2,148 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Illinois overview →
Jefferson County ranks #64 of 102 Illinois counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Illinois overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Jefferson County's STEEP 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: 1.70%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,148/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Jefferson County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Jefferson County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Adams County, WA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,147/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.79% vs Jefferson County 1.70%.
Juniata County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,147/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.99% vs Jefferson County 1.70%.
Monroe County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,149/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.37% vs Jefferson County 1.70%.
Price County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,150/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.32% vs Jefferson County 1.70%.
Illinois county set
State ACS overview for every published Illinois county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Jefferson County stamps STEEP · MID - 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, county median real-estate taxes · 2024 Jefferson County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.