New York · County property tax · ACS 2024
Jefferson County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Jefferson County pays $2,899 a year, an effective rate of 1.54%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,899
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.54%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +45%
- vs U.S. average
- #49 of 62
- rank in NY
The verdict
Homeowners in Jefferson County pay a median $2,899 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.54%, more affordable than 10% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,899
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.54%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2835 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +45%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($188,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for New York. Population: 115,040. Owner-occupied homes: 26,018.
The median annual property tax in Jefferson County is $2,899, which is 56% lower than the New York state average and 45% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.54% on a median home value of $188,200. Property taxes represent 4.4% 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 1.54% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 90% pay more.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Jefferson County pay a median annual property tax of $2,899, well above the national median and far below the New York state median. On a $188,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.54% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among New York counties by effective rate
Jefferson County ranks #49 of 62 counties in New York by effective rate (21% 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 a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.4% of the $66,301 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.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 10.2% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 59% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 25.4%, the median bill rose 12.6% to $2,899: 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 $2,575 to $2,899, a gain of 13%. 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: 11,646 of 26,018 owner-occupied homes (44.8%) 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 rate is in the national top quarter while earnings are only moderately above the midpoint, so the median bill claims 4.4% of median household income. A high rate is affordable only relative to something, and this is what it is relative to 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, 11,646 of 26,018 owner-occupied homes (44.8%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.2% (1,623)
- $800 to $1,499 12.6% (3,271)
- $1,500 to $1,999 8.9% (2,326)
- $2,000 to $2,999 21.3% (5,540)
- $3,000 or more 44.8% (11,646)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,612 homes here (6.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how New York handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Jefferson 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.
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 21% of the 62 counties in New York - ranking #49 of 62.
Where Jefferson County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.54% 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 1.54%, Jefferson 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 $2,899 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Jefferson County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Jefferson County | New York Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 4.4% | - | - |
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 $188,200 median home carries a $2,899 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $290 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for New York.
Jefferson County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,899 +1.7% | 1.54% |
| 2023 | $2,851 +2.6% | 1.58% |
| 2022 | $2,778 +5.1% | 1.64% |
| 2021 | $2,642 +2.6% | 1.72% |
| 2020 | $2,575 | 1.72% |
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 takes 4.4% of income
Counties near Jefferson County's effective rate
On effective rate, Jefferson County sits nearest Dakota County (NE), Brazos County (TX), Rockwall County (TX).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Thomas County (GA), Clark County (WI), Codington County (SD).
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 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,190 of 49,790 returns from Jefferson County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,803 - 35% 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 New York
Jefferson County rate FAQs
- How does Jefferson County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Jefferson County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.54% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Jefferson County?
- Jefferson County, New York scores F (19/100) 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 C- (2.84×). 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, New York?
- The median annual property tax in Jefferson County is $2,899, an effective rate of 1.54% on a $188,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Jefferson County?
- Property taxes in Jefferson County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.4% of the $66,301 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Jefferson County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Jefferson County climbed 12.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,575 to $2,899, 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 to do with Jefferson County's STEEP rate
Jefferson County's $2,899 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Jefferson County ranks #49 of 62 New York counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. New York 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: 1.54%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,899/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
Finney County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,900/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.44% vs Jefferson County 1.54%.
Grand Forks County, ND
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,900/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.15% vs Jefferson County 1.54%.
Chautauqua County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,901/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 2.27% vs Jefferson County 1.54%.
James City County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,901/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.65% vs Jefferson County 1.54%.
New York county set
State ACS overview for every published New York 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.