Michigan · County property tax · ACS 2024
Kalkaska County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Kalkaska County pays $1,646 a year, an effective rate of 0.87%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,646
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.87%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -17%
- vs U.S. average
- #76 of 83
- rank in MI
The verdict
Homeowners in Kalkaska County pay a median $1,646 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.87%, more affordable than 45% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,646
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.87%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1728 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -17%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($188,900). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Michigan. Population: 18,239. Owner-occupied homes: 6,868.
The median annual property tax in Kalkaska County is $1,646, which is 43% lower than the Michigan state average and 17% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.87% on a median home value of $188,900. Property taxes represent 2.4% of the median household income in this county.
Kalkaska County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Kalkaska County's 0.87% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 45%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Michigan median
Homeowners in Kalkaska County pay a median annual property tax of $1,646, notably lower than the national median and well below the Michigan state median. On a $188,900 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.87% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Michigan counties by effective rate
Kalkaska County ranks #76 of 83 counties in Michigan by effective rate (8% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Kalkaska County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $68,578 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Kalkaska 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 gave way faster than almost anywhere
Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Kalkaska County rose 48.0%, from $127,600 to $188,900. The effective rate fell 18.8% over the same span, a steeper move than in 78% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 20.2%, to $1,646. Where the rate drops this far and the bill rises anyway, what changed is the value the rate is applied to.
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 $1,369 to $1,646, a gain of 20%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 2,090 of 6,868 owner-occupied homes (30.4%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Both the income and the rate here sit in the third quarter nationally, and the median bill is 2.4% of median household income. Two above-average figures pulling in opposite directions is why the rate on its own is a poor guide.
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 Kalkaska County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Kalkaska County homeowners, 2,090 of 6,868 owner-occupied homes (30.4%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 11.9% (819)
- $800 to $1,499 30.4% (2,090)
- $1,500 to $1,999 14.4% (992)
- $2,000 to $2,999 17.1% (1,173)
- $3,000 or more 19.3% (1,323)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
471 homes here (6.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Michigan handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Kalkaska County pay about the same bill, a 2% gap.
Kalkaska County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Kalkaska County's effective rate is higher than 8% of the 83 counties in Michigan - ranking #76 of 83.
Where Kalkaska County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.87% more affordable than 45% 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
Below Michigan on both measures
Kalkaska County's effective rate runs 30% under the Michigan median and its bill 43% under. Both sitting on the same side means the gap is not a valuation artefact: a county can post a low rate purely because its homes are expensive, but then the bill rises to meet the state. Here it does not, so the $1,646 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Michigan norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Kalkaska County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Kalkaska County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median 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.
Kalkaska County is UNDER · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Michigan counties.
Kalkaska County rate trail · UNDER
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,646 +6.5% | 0.87% |
| 2023 | $1,545 +4.0% | 0.89% |
| 2022 | $1,486 +3.9% | 0.97% |
| 2021 | $1,430 +4.5% | 1.05% |
| 2020 | $1,369 | 1.07% |
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.
Kalkaska County: tax-to-income at 2.4%
Counties near Kalkaska County's effective rate
On effective rate, Kalkaska County sits nearest Montgomery County (MD), Greenup County (KY), Fayette County (KY).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Mariposa County (CA), Essex County (MA), Cherokee County (IA).
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
Kalkaska County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 180 of 8,890 returns from Kalkaska County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,661 - 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 Michigan
Kalkaska County rate FAQs
- How does Kalkaska County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Kalkaska County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.87% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Kalkaska County, Michigan?
- The median annual property tax in Kalkaska County is $1,646, an effective rate of 0.87% on a $188,900 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Kalkaska County?
- Kalkaska County, Michigan scores C (55/100) 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 mortgage premium at A (+$36). 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.
- Are property taxes increasing in Kalkaska County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Kalkaska County jumped 20.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,369 to $1,646, 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 Kalkaska County?
- Property taxes in Kalkaska County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $68,578 median household income.
What to do with Kalkaska County's UNDER rate
Inside Michigan, Kalkaska County's $1,646 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Michigan overview →
Kalkaska County ranks #76 of 83 Michigan counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Michigan overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Kalkaska County's UNDER 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: 0.87%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,646/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Kalkaska County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Kalkaska County (UNDER · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER MID
Lucas County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,645/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.37% vs Kalkaska County 0.87%.
Natrona County, WY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,645/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.60% vs Kalkaska County 0.87%.
Northumberland County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,645/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.47% vs Kalkaska County 0.87%.
Rockingham County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,645/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.53% vs Kalkaska County 0.87%.
Michigan county set
State ACS overview for every published Michigan county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Kalkaska County stamps UNDER · 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 Kalkaska County (UNDER · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.