California · County property tax · ACS 2024
Madera County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Madera County pays $2,756 a year, an effective rate of 0.70%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,756
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.70%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- +38%
- vs U.S. average
- #30 of 58
- rank in CA
The verdict
Homeowners in Madera County pay a median $2,756 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.70%, more affordable than 60% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,756
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.70%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1260 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 ($393,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Madera County, CA
32/100
5 ACS dimensions · release 2024
Comparative score against U.S. county percentiles on Census ACS medians (effective rate, bill, income share, mortgage gap, home-value/income). Higher means more affordable on those published medians, not a recommendation to buy, sell, appeal, or move, and not your personal tax bill. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.
Madera County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Madera County
Median tax as a share of Madera County's median household income
Madera County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Median home value relative to Madera County's median income
Read the chart values
- Rate relief: 61/100 (C+) · 0.70%
- Mortgage premium: 23/100 (F) · +$598
- Income room: 22/100 (F) · 3.6%
- Bill size: 21/100 (F) · $2,756/yr
- Housing pressure: 7/100 (F) · 5.13×
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for California. Population: 160,940. Owner-occupied homes: 30,613.
The median annual property tax in Madera County is $2,756, which is 46% lower than the California state average and 38% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.70% on a median home value of $393,200. Property taxes represent 3.6% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Madera County
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Madera County pay a median annual property tax of $2,756, well above the national median and well below the California state median. On a $393,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.70% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Madera County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.6% of the $76,627 median household income.
Decision signal 3
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Madera County's 0.70% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 60%).
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of California counties by effective rate
Madera County ranks #30 of 58 counties in California by effective rate (48% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Madera County as reported to the Census Bureau, your own bill can differ based on your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, special districts, and municipal overlays. Always consult your county assessor, tax collector, or a qualified professional before making decisions that depend on these numbers.
The rate held while the market moved
Madera County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 5.0% down, against a median home value that rose 46.4%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 39.1%, from $1,982 to $2,756.
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 39% from $1,982 to $2,756. 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: 13,070 of 30,613 owner-occupied homes (42.7%) 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.
Top-quartile earnings meet a below-median rate, putting the median bill at 3.6% of median household income. Counties in this position span a wide range on the ratio above, because the dollar bill tracks home values rather than the rate.
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 Madera County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Madera County homeowners, 13,070 of 30,613 owner-occupied homes (42.7%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.6% (2,034)
- $800 to $1,499 14.1% (4,324)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.4% (3,488)
- $2,000 to $2,999 20.6% (6,309)
- $3,000 or more 42.7% (13,070)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,388 homes here (4.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how California handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Madera County, mortgaged homeowners pay 25% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
How Madera County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Madera County's effective rate is higher than 48% of the 58 counties in California - ranking #30 of 58 for property tax burden.
Where Madera County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.70% Among the most affordable more affordable than 60% 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
What changed since 2020
The median bill in Madera County moved from $1,982 in the 2020 release to $2,756 in 2024, a change of about 39%. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates compared across releases that share only one sample year, which is why this page never compares consecutive releases: those overlap in four years of the same households and move mostly on sampling.
Madera County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Madera County | California 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 | 3.6% | - | - |
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.
Madera County stamps UNDER · MID - still check the parcel card
On Madera County's published figures (UNDER · MID), a $393,200 median home carries a $2,756 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $276 a year at the same rate. Whether an appeal is worth filing depends on your own parcel. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to run your own numbers, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the procedure in California.
Property Tax History · UNDER · MID
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,756 +7.0% | 0.70% |
| 2023 | $2,575 +7.5% | 0.70% |
| 2022 | $2,395 +13.0% | 0.70% |
| 2021 | $2,120 +7.0% | 0.74% |
| 2020 | $1,982 | 0.74% |
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.
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate notably lower than the national average of 0.92% puts Madera County in the "Very Affordable" band for property tax burden.
How this score is calculated: a 1-10 scale derived mechanically from the ratio of this county's effective rate to the national average effective rate (0.92%) - a ratio at or below 0.5× scores 10, a ratio at or above 2.0× scores 1, with a linear scale between. It is a factual comparison of Census figures only, not a recommendation, quality rating, or endorsement of Madera County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Madera County sits nearest Pinellas County (FL), Baldwin County (GA), Bartow County (GA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Madison County (ID), Transylvania County (NC), McLeod County (MN).
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
What tax filers report in Madera County
Of the 67,840 federal returns filed from Madera County in 2022, 4,950 (7.3% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $4,667 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 37% of the county's reporting returns.
Two things this does not say. The amount is what filers reported, recorded before the $10,000 cap on combined state and local tax deductions applies, so it is not the amount deducted. And the share is of everyone who files a return, not of homeowners: most filers now take the standard deduction, so a minority itemise at all. Source: IRS Statistics of Income county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in California
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Madera County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Madera County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Madera County? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Madera County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Madera County, California? ▼
What to do with Madera County's numbers
- Madera County's $2,756 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
- Madera County ranks #30 of 58 California counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. California overview →
- If Madera County's assessment looks high versus the $393,200 typical home, check California's filing window and evidence rules before the notice deadline passes. How to appeal →
Effective-rate definition
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($393,200); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
Nationwide peers by effective rate & median bill
Two PlainPropertyTax-derived comparison paths for Madera County, both outside California so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice. Axes stay disjoint: median-bill peers exclude the effective-rate peer set.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 0.70%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,756/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Madera County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Madera County (UNDER · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER MID
Houston County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Madera County at $2,756/yr; rate 1.15% vs Madera County 0.70%.
Ottawa County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,760/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.66% vs Madera County 0.70%.
Denver County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,751/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 0.45% vs Madera County 0.70%.
Douglas County, NV
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,750/yr (near-tied bill ABS $6); rate 0.45% vs Madera County 0.70%.
California county set
State ACS overview for every published California county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Madera 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.
Share and download this county card
Editorial standards and provenance
PlainPropertyTax is rendered directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on the Census ACS county-level record for Madera County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.