New Mexico · County property tax · ACS 2024
Los Alamos County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Los Alamos County pays $2,717 a year, an effective rate of 0.55%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,717
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.55%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- +36%
- vs U.S. average
- #17 of 33
- rank in NM
The verdict
Homeowners in Los Alamos County pay a median $2,717 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.55%, more affordable than 78% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,717
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.55%
- Effective rate on median home
- #694 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +36%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($495,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for New Mexico. Population: 19,435. Owner-occupied homes: 6,171.
The median annual property tax in Los Alamos County is $2,717, which is 57% higher than the New Mexico state average and 36% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.55% on a median home value of $495,800. Property taxes represent 1.8% of the median household income in this county.
Los Alamos County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Los Alamos County's 0.55% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 78%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Los Alamos County pay a median annual property tax of $2,717, well above the national median and far above the New Mexico state median. On a $495,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.55% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Los Alamos County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.8% of the $147,139 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of New Mexico counties by effective rate
Los Alamos County ranks #17 of 33 counties in New Mexico by effective rate (48% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Los Alamos 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 Los Alamos County rose 53.9%, from $322,200 to $495,800. The effective rate fell 18.7% over the same span, a steeper move than in 78% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 25.1%, to $2,717. 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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 25% from $2,172 to $2,717. 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: 2,493 of 6,171 owner-occupied homes (40.4%) 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 1.8% 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 Los Alamos County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Los Alamos County homeowners, 2,493 of 6,171 owner-occupied homes (40.4%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 3.3% (201)
- $800 to $1,499 13.4% (827)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.0% (739)
- $2,000 to $2,999 27.2% (1,676)
- $3,000 or more 40.4% (2,493)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
235 homes here (3.8%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how New Mexico handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Los Alamos County pay about the same bill, a 4% gap.
Los Alamos County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Los Alamos County's effective rate is higher than 48% of the 33 counties in New Mexico - ranking #17 of 33.
Where Los Alamos County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.55% Among the most affordable more affordable than 78% 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
A low rate, a bigger bill
Los Alamos County taxes property at 0.55%, roughly 21% below the New Mexico average, and still bills a median $2,717, about 57% above the state figure. Because the effective rate is the bill divided by the home's value, that combination means local home values run well ahead of the state norm: a gentler rate applied to a larger base.
Los Alamos County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Los Alamos County | New Mexico Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate 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.
Los Alamos County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · New Mexico counties.
Los Alamos County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,717 +4.9% | 0.55% |
| 2023 | $2,591 +6.1% | 0.57% |
| 2022 | $2,442 +8.9% | 0.59% |
| 2021 | $2,242 +3.2% | 0.65% |
| 2020 | $2,172 | 0.67% |
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.
Los Alamos County: tax takes only 1.8% of income
Counties near Los Alamos County's effective rate
On effective rate, Los Alamos County sits nearest Musselshell County (MT), Jefferson County (MT), Taney County (MO).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Lubbock County (TX), Boundary County (ID), Dillingham Census Area (AK).
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
Los Alamos County: only 13% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,270 of 9,900 returns from Los Alamos County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,973 - 47% 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 New Mexico
Los Alamos County rate FAQs
- How does Los Alamos County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Los Alamos County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.55% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Los Alamos County, New Mexico?
- The median annual property tax in Los Alamos County is $2,717, an effective rate of 0.55% on a $495,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Los Alamos County?
- Los Alamos County, New Mexico scores C+ (61/100) 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 B+ (0.55%). 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Los Alamos County?
- Property taxes in Los Alamos County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.8% of the $147,139 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Los Alamos County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Los Alamos County jumped 25.1% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,172 to $2,717, 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 Los Alamos County's QUIET rate
Los Alamos County's $2,717 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Income burden is light here: about 1.8% of Los Alamos County's $147,139 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Los Alamos 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: 0.55%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,717/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Los Alamos County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Los Alamos County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Green Lake County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,718/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.26% vs Los Alamos County 0.55%.
Harvey County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,715/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.51% vs Los Alamos County 0.55%.
Cobb County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,720/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.67% vs Los Alamos County 0.55%.
Jackson County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,725/yr (near-tied bill ABS $8); rate 1.39% vs Los Alamos County 0.55%.
New Mexico county set
State ACS overview for every published New Mexico county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Los Alamos 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 Los Alamos County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.