Wisconsin · County property tax · ACS 2024
Oconto County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Oconto County pays $2,727 a year, an effective rate of 1.18%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,727
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.18%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +37%
- vs U.S. average
- #57 of 72
- rank in WI
The verdict
Homeowners in Oconto County pay a median $2,727 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.18%, more affordable than 24% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,727
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.18%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2381 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +37%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($231,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Wisconsin. Population: 39,589. Owner-occupied homes: 14,292.
The median annual property tax in Oconto County is $2,727, which is 28% lower than the Wisconsin state average and 37% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.18% on a median home value of $231,400. Property taxes represent 3.6% of the median household income in this county.
Oconto County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Oconto County's 1.18% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 24%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Oconto County pay a median annual property tax of $2,727, well above the national median and well below the Wisconsin state median. On a $231,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.18% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Wisconsin counties by effective rate
Oconto County ranks #57 of 72 counties in Wisconsin by effective rate (21% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Oconto County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.6% of the $75,049 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Oconto 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 Oconto County rose 42.5%, from $162,400 to $231,400. The effective rate fell 18.0% over the same span, a steeper move than in 76% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 16.9%, to $2,727. 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
Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $2,333 to $2,727, a gain of 17%. 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: 5,999 of 14,292 owner-occupied homes (42.0%) 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 rate is in the national top quarter while earnings are only moderately above the midpoint, so the median bill claims 3.6% of median household income. A high rate is affordable only relative to something, and this is what it is relative to 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 Oconto County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Oconto County homeowners, 5,999 of 14,292 owner-occupied homes (42.0%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 5.4% (775)
- $800 to $1,499 11.9% (1,706)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.8% (1,825)
- $2,000 to $2,999 26.1% (3,727)
- $3,000 or more 42.0% (5,999)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
260 homes here (1.8%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Wisconsin handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Oconto County, mortgaged homeowners pay 11% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Oconto County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Oconto County's effective rate is higher than 21% of the 72 counties in Wisconsin - ranking #57 of 72.
Where Oconto County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.18% more affordable than 24% 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
Below Wisconsin on both measures
Oconto County's effective rate runs 17% under the Wisconsin median and its bill 28% under. Both sitting on the same side means the gap is not a valuation artefact: a county can post a low rate purely because its homes are expensive, but then the bill rises to meet the state. Here it does not, so the $2,727 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Wisconsin norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Oconto County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Oconto 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 | 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.
Oconto County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Wisconsin counties.
Oconto County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,727 +2.9% | 1.18% |
| 2023 | $2,651 +2.8% | 1.25% |
| 2022 | $2,579 +4.6% | 1.32% |
| 2021 | $2,466 +5.7% | 1.43% |
| 2020 | $2,333 | 1.44% |
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.
Oconto County: tax-to-income at 3.6%
Counties near Oconto County's effective rate
On effective rate, Oconto County sits nearest Walker County (TX), Bowie County (TX), Campbell County (SD).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Lauderdale County (TN), Trumbull County (OH), Baltimore County (MD).
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
Oconto County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 700 of 19,650 returns from Oconto County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,861 - 34% 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
Oconto County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Oconto County?
- Oconto County, Wisconsin scores F (29/100) 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- (+$286). 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 Oconto County, Wisconsin?
- The median annual property tax in Oconto County is $2,727, an effective rate of 1.18% on a $231,400 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Oconto County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Oconto County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.18% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Oconto County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Oconto County climbed 16.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,333 to $2,727, 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Oconto County?
- Property taxes in Oconto County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.6% of the $75,049 median household income.
What to do with Oconto County's PAR rate
Oconto County's $2,727 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Oconto County ranks #57 of 72 Wisconsin counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Wisconsin overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Oconto County's PAR 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: 1.18%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,727/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Oconto County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Oconto County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Benton County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Oconto County at $2,727/yr; rate 1.31% vs Oconto County 1.18%.
Taylor County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,728/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.37% vs Oconto County 1.18%.
Grant County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,729/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.36% vs Oconto County 1.18%.
Jackson County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,725/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.39% vs Oconto County 1.18%.
Wisconsin county set
State ACS overview for every published Wisconsin county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Oconto County stamps PAR · 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 Oconto County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.