Colorado · County property tax · ACS 2024
La Plata County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in La Plata County pays $1,552 a year, an effective rate of 0.26%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,552
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.26%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -22%
- vs U.S. average
- #61 of 64
- rank in CO
The verdict
Homeowners in La Plata County pay a median $1,552 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.26%, more affordable than 99% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,552
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.26%
- Effective rate on median home
- #29 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -22%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($591,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Colorado. Population: 56,331. Owner-occupied homes: 17,292.
The median annual property tax in La Plata County is $1,552, which is 40% lower than the Colorado state average and 22% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.26% on a median home value of $591,500. Property taxes represent 1.8% of the median household income in this county.
La Plata County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
La Plata County's 0.26% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 99% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
High among Colorado counties by effective rate
La Plata County ranks #61 of 64 counties in Colorado by effective rate (5% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits below the Colorado median
Homeowners in La Plata County pay a median annual property tax of $1,552, notably lower than the national median and well below the Colorado state median. On a $591,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.26% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in La Plata County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.8% of the $86,056 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in La Plata 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 7.8% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 69% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 42.2%, the median bill rose 31.2% to $1,552: 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 31% from $1,183 to $1,552. 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 fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 5,072 of 17,292 owner-occupied homes (29.3%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
The most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 1.8% 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 La Plata County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of La Plata County homeowners, 5,072 of 17,292 owner-occupied homes (29.3%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 16.2% (2,799)
- $800 to $1,499 29.3% (5,072)
- $1,500 to $1,999 17.2% (2,977)
- $2,000 to $2,999 19.6% (3,395)
- $3,000 or more 12.2% (2,118)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
931 homes here (5.4%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Colorado handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In La Plata County, mortgaged homeowners pay 17% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
La Plata County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
La Plata County's effective rate is higher than 5% of the 64 counties in Colorado - ranking #61 of 64.
Where La Plata County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.26% 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 0.26%, La Plata 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 $1,552, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
La Plata County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | La Plata County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 1.8% | - | - |
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.
La Plata County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Colorado counties.
La Plata County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,552 +6.9% | 0.26% |
| 2023 | $1,452 +6.6% | 0.26% |
| 2022 | $1,362 +9.0% | 0.27% |
| 2021 | $1,250 +5.7% | 0.29% |
| 2020 | $1,183 | 0.28% |
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.
La Plata County: tax takes only 1.8% of income
Counties near La Plata County's effective rate
On effective rate, La Plata County sits nearest Walker County (AL), Cullman County (AL), Covington County (AL).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Richmond city (VA), Tarrant County (TX), Coweta County (GA).
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
La Plata County: only 8% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 2,370 of 28,560 returns from La Plata County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,196 - 41% of those reporters sat in the $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 Colorado
La Plata County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in La Plata County, Colorado?
- The median annual property tax in La Plata County is $1,552, an effective rate of 0.26% on a $591,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does La Plata County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in La Plata County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.26% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for La Plata County?
- La Plata County, Colorado scores B- (68/100) 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+ (0.26%). 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 La Plata County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for La Plata County jumped 31.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,183 to $1,552, 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 La Plata County?
- Property taxes in La Plata County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.8% of the $86,056 median household income.
What to do with La Plata County's QUIET rate
Inside Colorado, La Plata County's $1,552 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Colorado overview →
Income burden is light here: about 1.8% of La Plata County's $86,056 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for La Plata 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: 0.26%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,552/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with La Plata County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for La Plata County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Phillips County, MT
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,551/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.78% vs La Plata County 0.26%.
Rowan County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,554/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.65% vs La Plata County 0.26%.
Stafford County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,550/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.59% vs La Plata County 0.26%.
Platte County, WY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,549/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.52% vs La Plata County 0.26%.
Colorado county set
State ACS overview for every published Colorado county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
La Plata 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 La Plata County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.