Wisconsin · County property tax · ACS 2024
Marathon County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Marathon County pays $3,218 a year, an effective rate of 1.47%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,218
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.47%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +61%
- vs U.S. average
- #18 of 72
- rank in WI
The verdict
Homeowners in Marathon County pay a median $3,218 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.47%, more affordable than 12% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,218
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.47%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2767 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +61%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($219,600). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Wisconsin. Population: 138,403. Owner-occupied homes: 42,414.
The median annual property tax in Marathon County is $3,218, which is 15% lower than the Wisconsin state average and 61% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.47% on a median home value of $219,600. Property taxes represent 4.1% of the median household income in this county.
Marathon County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Marathon County's 1.47% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 12%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Marathon County pay a median annual property tax of $3,218, far above the national median and notably lower than the Wisconsin state median. On a $219,600 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.47% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Low among Wisconsin counties by effective rate
Marathon County ranks #18 of 72 counties in Wisconsin by effective rate (75% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Marathon County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.1% of the $77,884 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Marathon 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
Marathon County's effective rate fell 16.2% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 36.0%, leaving the median bill 14.0% higher at $3,218. That rate move is larger than the one in 69% 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 $2,823 to $3,218, a gain of 14%. 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: 23,000 of 42,414 owner-occupied homes (54.2%) 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.
Both figures are in the national top quarter, and the median bill still equals only 4.1% of median household income. A high rate on high earnings produces a large dollar figure, and only the dollar figure tends to get quoted; the ratio above is the other half.
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 Marathon County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Marathon County homeowners, 23,000 of 42,414 owner-occupied homes (54.2%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 3.0% (1,276)
- $800 to $1,499 5.8% (2,472)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.6% (4,089)
- $2,000 to $2,999 25.6% (10,861)
- $3,000 or more 54.2% (23,000)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
716 homes here (1.7%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Wisconsin handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Marathon County pay about the same bill, a 8% gap.
Marathon County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Marathon County's effective rate is higher than 75% of the 72 counties in Wisconsin - ranking #18 of 72.
Where Marathon County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.47% more affordable than 12% 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 Wisconsin, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 4% of the Wisconsin median, yet the median bill runs 15% 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 $3,218 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Marathon County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Marathon County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 4.1% | - | - |
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.
Marathon County's STEEP · HEAVY lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Marathon County's published figures (STEEP · HEAVY), a $219,600 median home carries a $3,218 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $322 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Wisconsin.
Marathon County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,218 +3.5% | 1.47% |
| 2023 | $3,108 +0.3% | 1.51% |
| 2022 | $3,098 +5.7% | 1.59% |
| 2021 | $2,931 +3.8% | 1.73% |
| 2020 | $2,823 | 1.75% |
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.
Marathon County: tax takes 4.1% of income
Counties near Marathon County's effective rate
On effective rate, Marathon County sits nearest Refugio County (TX), La Salle County (TX), Kleberg County (TX).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Benton County (MO), St. Bernard Parish (LA), Meade County (KY).
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
Marathon County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 2,720 of 69,870 returns from Marathon County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,413 - 32% 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 Wisconsin
Marathon County rate FAQs
- How does Marathon County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Marathon County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.47% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Marathon County?
- Marathon County, Wisconsin scores F (25/100) 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 (+$231). 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 Marathon County, Wisconsin?
- The median annual property tax in Marathon County is $3,218, an effective rate of 1.47% on a $219,600 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Marathon County?
- Property taxes in Marathon County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.1% of the $77,884 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Marathon County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Marathon County climbed 14.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,823 to $3,218, 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 Marathon County's STEEP rate
Marathon County's $3,218 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Marathon County ranks #18 of 72 Wisconsin counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Wisconsin overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Marathon 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: 1.47%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,218/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Marathon County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Marathon County (STEEP · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP HEAVY
Hood County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,217/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.05% vs Marathon County 1.47%.
Kent County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,217/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.11% vs Marathon County 1.47%.
Stanislaus County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,216/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.71% vs Marathon County 1.47%.
Elbert County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,214/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 0.45% vs Marathon County 1.47%.
Wisconsin county set
State ACS overview for every published Wisconsin county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Marathon County stamps STEEP · HEAVY - 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 Marathon County (STEEP · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.