South Dakota · County property tax · ACS 2024
Lake County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Lake County pays $2,546 a year, an effective rate of 1.03%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,546
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.03%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +28%
- vs U.S. average
- #32 of 66
- rank in SD
The verdict
Homeowners in Lake County pay a median $2,546 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.03%, more affordable than 33% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,546
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.03%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2102 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +28%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($247,600). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Dakota. Population: 10,972. Owner-occupied homes: 3,482.
The median annual property tax in Lake County is $2,546, which is 7% lower than the South Dakota state average and 28% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.03% on a median home value of $247,600. Property taxes represent 3.3% of the median household income in this county.
Lake County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Lake County's 1.03% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 33%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Lake County pay a median annual property tax of $2,546, well above the national median and modestly below the South Dakota state median. On a $247,600 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.03% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Lake County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.3% of the $76,808 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of South Dakota counties by effective rate
Lake County ranks #32 of 66 counties in South Dakota by effective rate (52% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Lake 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Lake County's effective rate fell 15.0% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 45.4%, leaving the median bill 23.6% higher at $2,546. That rate move is larger than the one in 63% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
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 $2,060 to $2,546, a gain of 24%. 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: 1,321 of 3,482 owner-occupied homes (37.9%) 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.
Earnings are in the national top quarter and the rate is above the midpoint, so the median bill represents 3.3% of median household income. A headline bill conflates the dollar figure with the proportion; the two come apart here, and the ratio above is the second of them.
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 Lake County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Lake County homeowners, 1,321 of 3,482 owner-occupied homes (37.9%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 11.3% (394)
- $800 to $1,499 15.3% (532)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.1% (318)
- $2,000 to $2,999 24.2% (843)
- $3,000 or more 37.9% (1,321)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
74 homes here (2.1%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how South Dakota handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Lake County, mortgaged homeowners pay 11% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Lake County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Lake County's effective rate is higher than 52% of the 66 counties in South Dakota - ranking #32 of 66.
Where Lake County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.03% more affordable than 33% 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
Close to the South Dakota median on both measures
Rate and bill both land within 10% of the South Dakota medians here, which makes Lake County a reasonable stand-in for the state when comparing against counties elsewhere. It also means the county-level figure adds little beyond the state figure for this particular comparison; the $2,546 median bill and the state median tell substantially the same story.
Lake County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Lake County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.3% | - | - |
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.
Lake County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · South Dakota counties.
Lake County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,546 +3.4% | 1.03% |
| 2023 | $2,463 +5.6% | 1.07% |
| 2022 | $2,333 +14.1% | 1.19% |
| 2021 | $2,044 -0.8% | 1.18% |
| 2020 | $2,060 | 1.21% |
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.
Lake County: tax-to-income at 3.3%
Counties near Lake County's effective rate
On effective rate, Lake County sits nearest Seneca County (OH), Sandusky County (OH), Paulding County (OH).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Stone County (MO), Marion County (OR), Buckingham County (VA).
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
Lake County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 190 of 5,570 returns from Lake County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,037 - 42% 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 South Dakota
Lake County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Lake County?
- Lake County, South Dakota scores F (34/100) 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 C- (+$271). 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 Lake County, South Dakota?
- The median annual property tax in Lake County is $2,546, an effective rate of 1.03% on a $247,600 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Lake County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Lake County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.03% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Lake County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Lake County jumped 23.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,060 to $2,546, 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 Lake County?
- Property taxes in Lake County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.3% of the $76,808 median household income.
What to do with Lake County's PAR rate
Lake County's $2,546 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Lake County ranks #32 of 66 South Dakota counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. South Dakota overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Lake County's PAR 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: 1.03%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,546/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Lake County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Lake County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Bureau County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,548/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 2.01% vs Lake County 1.03%.
Sibley County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,544/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.10% vs Lake County 1.03%.
Lincoln County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,549/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.32% vs Lake County 1.03%.
Fayette County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,542/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 0.87% vs Lake County 1.03%.
South Dakota county set
State ACS overview for every published South Dakota county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Lake County stamps PAR · 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 Lake County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.