Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Lucas County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Lucas County pays $1,645 a year, an effective rate of 1.37%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,645
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.37%
- Effective rate · High rate
- -17%
- vs U.S. average
- #37 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Lucas County pay a median $1,645 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.37%, more affordable than 16% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,645
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.37%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2647 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -17%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($120,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 8,716. Owner-occupied homes: 2,921.
The median annual property tax in Lucas County is $1,645, which is 43% lower than the Iowa state average and 17% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.37% on a median home value of $120,200. Property taxes represent 2.7% of the median household income in this county.
Lucas County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Lucas County's 1.37% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 16%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Iowa median
Homeowners in Lucas County pay a median annual property tax of $1,645, notably lower than the national median and well below the Iowa state median. On a $120,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.37% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Iowa counties by effective rate
Lucas County ranks #37 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (63% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Lucas County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.7% of the $61,793 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Lucas 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 Lucas County rose 27.6%, from $94,200 to $120,200. The effective rate fell 19.3% over the same span, a steeper move than in 80% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 3.0%, to $1,645. 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 $1,597 to $1,645, a change of 3%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 700 of 2,921 owner-occupied homes (24.0%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 2.7% of median household income. A rate ranking places this county by the rate alone; the ratio above is the figure that accounts for what is earned here.
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 Lucas County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Lucas County homeowners, 700 of 2,921 owner-occupied homes (24.0%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 24.0% (700)
- $800 to $1,499 20.1% (586)
- $1,500 to $1,999 13.2% (387)
- $2,000 to $2,999 14.5% (425)
- $3,000 or more 23.9% (699)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
124 homes here (4.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Lucas County, mortgaged homeowners pay 20% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Lucas County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Lucas County's effective rate is higher than 63% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #37 of 99.
Where Lucas County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.37% more affordable than 16% 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 rate as Iowa, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 1% of the Iowa median, yet the median bill runs 43% below it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to cheaper housing produces $1,645 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Lucas County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Lucas County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.7% | - | - |
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.
Lucas County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Lucas County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $120,200 median home carries a $1,645 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $165 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.
Lucas County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,645 -5.0% | 1.37% |
| 2023 | $1,732 +2.1% | 1.48% |
| 2022 | $1,696 +2.7% | 1.53% |
| 2021 | $1,652 +3.4% | 1.73% |
| 2020 | $1,597 | 1.70% |
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.
Lucas County: tax-to-income at 2.7%
Counties near Lucas County's effective rate
On effective rate, Lucas County sits nearest Anderson County (KS), Chase County (KS), McPherson County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Cherry County (NE), Coahoma County (MS), Luce County (MI).
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
Lucas County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 110 of 3,960 returns from Lucas County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,364 - 36% of those reporters sat in the $25-50k 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 Iowa
Lucas County rate FAQs
- How does Lucas County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Lucas County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.37% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Lucas County, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Lucas County is $1,645, an effective rate of 1.37% on a $120,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Lucas County?
- Lucas County, Iowa scores D (42/100) 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 housing pressure at A+ (1.95×). 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 Lucas County?
- Property taxes in Lucas County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.7% of the $61,793 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Lucas County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Lucas County ticked up 3.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,597 to $1,645, 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 Lucas County's STEEP rate
Inside Iowa, Lucas County's $1,645 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Iowa overview →
Lucas County ranks #37 of 99 Iowa counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Iowa overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Lucas County's STEEP 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: 1.37%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,645/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Lucas County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Lucas County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Natrona County, WY
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Lucas County at $1,645/yr; rate 0.60% vs Lucas County 1.37%.
Northumberland County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Lucas County at $1,645/yr; rate 0.47% vs Lucas County 1.37%.
Rockingham County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Lucas County at $1,645/yr; rate 0.53% vs Lucas County 1.37%.
Kalkaska County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,646/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.87% vs Lucas County 1.37%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Lucas County stamps STEEP · MID - review notice deadlines before quoting the ACS median.
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 Lucas County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.