Hawaii · County property tax · ACS 2024
Kauai County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Kauai County pays $1,866 a year, an effective rate of 0.21%, modestly below the U.S. average.
- $1,866
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.21%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -6%
- vs U.S. average
- #3 of 4
- rank in HI
The verdict
Homeowners in Kauai County pay a median $1,866 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.21%, more affordable than 100% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,866
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.21%
- Effective rate on median home
- #13 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -6%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($873,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Hawaii. Population: 73,731. Owner-occupied homes: 16,210.
The median annual property tax in Kauai County is $1,866, which is 17% lower than the Hawaii state average and 6% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.21% on a median home value of $873,200. Property taxes represent 1.9% of the median household income in this county.
Kauai County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Kauai County's 0.21% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 100% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Kauai County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $97,668 median household income.
Decision signal 3
The bill is near the usual comparison points
Homeowners in Kauai County pay a median annual property tax of $1,866, modestly below the national median and notably lower than the Hawaii state median. On a $873,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.21% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 4
High among Hawaii counties by effective rate
Kauai County ranks #3 of 4 counties in Hawaii by effective rate (25% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Kauai 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 11.2% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 55% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 43.9%, the median bill rose 27.8% to $1,866: 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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 28% from $1,460 to $1,866. 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: 4,390 of 16,210 owner-occupied homes (27.1%) 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 most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 1.9% of median household income. Home values still drive the dollar figure, which is why the ratio above varies widely among counties that share this position.
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 Kauai County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Kauai County homeowners, 4,390 of 16,210 owner-occupied homes (27.1%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 12.7% (2,061)
- $800 to $1,499 24.8% (4,026)
- $1,500 to $1,999 13.4% (2,175)
- $2,000 to $2,999 16.7% (2,703)
- $3,000 or more 27.1% (4,390)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
855 homes here (5.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Hawaii handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Kauai County pay about the same bill, within a 2% gap either way.
Kauai County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Kauai County's effective rate is higher than 25% of the 4 counties in Hawaii - ranking #3 of 4.
Where Kauai County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.21% Among the most affordable more affordable than 99% 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 lowest-taxed counties in the country
At 0.21%, Kauai County sits in the lowest 1% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. A low rate does not by itself mean a low bill: the median here is $1,866, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Kauai County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Kauai County | Hawaii Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 1.9% | - | - |
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.
Kauai County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Hawaii counties.
Kauai County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,866 +1.4% | 0.21% |
| 2023 | $1,840 +9.6% | 0.22% |
| 2022 | $1,679 +11.8% | 0.23% |
| 2021 | $1,502 +2.9% | 0.24% |
| 2020 | $1,460 | 0.24% |
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.
Kauai County: tax takes only 1.9% of income
Counties near Kauai County's effective rate
On effective rate, Kauai County sits nearest Clay County (AL), West Carroll Parish (LA), Avoyelles Parish (LA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Jones County (IA), Calhoun County (IA), Shelby County (KY).
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
Kauai County: only 9% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 3,270 of 36,620 returns from Kauai County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,172 - 37% 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 Hawaii
Kauai County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Kauai County?
- Kauai County, Hawaii scores B (70/100) 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 rate relief at A+ (0.21%). 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 Kauai County, Hawaii?
- The median annual property tax in Kauai County is $1,866, an effective rate of 0.21% on a $873,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Kauai County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Kauai County jumped 27.8% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,460 to $1,866, 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.
- How does Kauai County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Kauai County run modestly below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.21% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Kauai County?
- Property taxes in Kauai County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $97,668 median household income.
What to do with Kauai County's QUIET rate
At Kauai County's 0.21% effective rate, a $873,200 home implies about $1,866/yr - plug in your own assessed value rather than quoting the county median. Estimate your bill →
Income burden is light here: about 1.9% of Kauai County's $97,668 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Kauai County's QUIET 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: 0.21%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,866/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Kauai County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Kauai County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Gladwin County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,867/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.15% vs Kauai County 0.21%.
Hutchinson County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,867/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.15% vs Kauai County 0.21%.
Fremont County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,868/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.21% vs Kauai County 0.21%.
Lamar County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,864/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.86% vs Kauai County 0.21%.
Hawaii county set
State ACS overview for every published Hawaii county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Kauai County stamps QUIET · 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 Kauai County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.