South Dakota · County property tax · ACS 2024
Lawrence County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Lawrence County pays $2,744 a year, an effective rate of 0.79%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,744
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.79%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- +38%
- vs U.S. average
- #60 of 66
- rank in SD
The verdict
Homeowners in Lawrence County pay a median $2,744 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.79%, more affordable than 51% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,744
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.79%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1538 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +38%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($346,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Dakota. Population: 27,233. Owner-occupied homes: 7,846.
The median annual property tax in Lawrence County is $2,744, which is 1% higher than the South Dakota state average and 38% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.79% on a median home value of $346,500. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.
Lawrence County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Lawrence County's 0.79% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 51%).
Decision signal 2
High among South Dakota counties by effective rate
Lawrence County ranks #60 of 66 counties in South Dakota by effective rate (9% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Lawrence County pay a median annual property tax of $2,744, well above the national median and roughly in line with the South Dakota state median. On a $346,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.79% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Lawrence County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $73,384 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Lawrence 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 Lawrence County rose 54.5%, from $224,200 to $346,500. The effective rate fell 29.1% over the same span, a steeper move than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 9.6%, to $2,744. 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
Very little moved here between 2020 and 2024: the typical bill went from $2,503 to $2,744, a change of 10%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 3,360 of 7,846 owner-occupied homes (42.8%) 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.
Above-median earnings meet a slightly-below-median rate, and the median bill amounts to 3.7% of median household income. That is the comfortable middle of this dataset, and comfortable middles are easy to overlook when only rankings get published.
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 Lawrence County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Lawrence County homeowners, 3,360 of 7,846 owner-occupied homes (42.8%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 8.0% (629)
- $800 to $1,499 11.0% (860)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.8% (1,002)
- $2,000 to $2,999 22.7% (1,781)
- $3,000 or more 42.8% (3,360)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
214 homes here (2.7%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how South Dakota handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Lawrence County, mortgaged homeowners pay 10% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Lawrence County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Lawrence County's effective rate is higher than 9% of the 66 counties in South Dakota - ranking #60 of 66.
Where Lawrence County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.79% more affordable than 51% 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
Same bill as South Dakota, a lower rate
The median bill lands within 1% of the South Dakota median while the effective rate runs 25% below it. The two offset each other: a gentler rate applied to more valuable housing arrives at roughly the state's own $2,744. A rate ranking would place this county far from the middle; the bill does not.
Lawrence County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Lawrence County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.7% | - | - |
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.
Lawrence County is UNDER · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · South Dakota counties.
Lawrence County rate trail · UNDER
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,744 +2.7% | 0.79% |
| 2023 | $2,671 +2.5% | 0.86% |
| 2022 | $2,605 +3.3% | 0.97% |
| 2021 | $2,523 +0.8% | 1.06% |
| 2020 | $2,503 | 1.12% |
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.
Lawrence County: tax-to-income at 3.7%
Counties near Lawrence County's effective rate
On effective rate, Lawrence County sits nearest Wagoner County (OK), McClain County (OK), Wilson County (NC).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Pickens County (AL), Lincoln County (KS), Brown County (IN).
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
Lawrence County: only 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 720 of 14,360 returns from Lawrence County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,013 - 39% 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
Lawrence County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Lawrence County?
- Lawrence 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 (+$248). 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 Lawrence County, South Dakota?
- The median annual property tax in Lawrence County is $2,744, an effective rate of 0.79% on a $346,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Lawrence County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Lawrence County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.79% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Lawrence County?
- Property taxes in Lawrence County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $73,384 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Lawrence County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Lawrence County climbed 9.6% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,503 to $2,744, 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 Lawrence County's UNDER rate
Lawrence County's $2,744 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Lawrence County ranks #60 of 66 South Dakota counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. South Dakota overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Lawrence 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: 0.79%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,744/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Lawrence County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Lawrence County (UNDER · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER MID
Union County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Lawrence County at $2,744/yr; rate 1.14% vs Lawrence County 0.79%.
Stearns County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,742/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.00% vs Lawrence County 0.79%.
Bond County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,747/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.89% vs Lawrence County 0.79%.
Henry County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,741/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.87% vs Lawrence County 0.79%.
South Dakota county set
State ACS overview for every published South Dakota county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Lawrence 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 Lawrence County (UNDER · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.