Kansas · County property tax · ACS 2024
Ottawa County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Ottawa County pays $2,760 a year, an effective rate of 1.66%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,760
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.66%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +38%
- vs U.S. average
- #34 of 105
- rank in KS
The verdict
Homeowners in Ottawa County pay a median $2,760 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.66%, more affordable than 7% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,760
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.66%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2923 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 ($166,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Kansas. Population: 5,819. Owner-occupied homes: 1,858.
The median annual property tax in Ottawa County is $2,760, which is 1% lower than the Kansas state average and 38% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.66% on a median home value of $166,000. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.
Ottawa County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Ottawa County's 1.66% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 93% pay more.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Ottawa County pay a median annual property tax of $2,760, well above the national median and roughly in line with the Kansas state median. On a $166,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.66% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Kansas counties by effective rate
Ottawa County ranks #34 of 105 counties in Kansas by effective rate (68% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Ottawa County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $74,018 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Ottawa 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.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 12.1% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 51% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 41.5%, the median bill rose 24.4% to $2,760: the rate did comparatively little to offset the market.
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 $2,219 to $2,760, a gain of 24%. 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: 824 of 1,858 owner-occupied homes (44.3%) 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 3.7% 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 Ottawa County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Ottawa County homeowners, 824 of 1,858 owner-occupied homes (44.3%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 8.3% (154)
- $800 to $1,499 12.5% (232)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.6% (234)
- $2,000 to $2,999 21.1% (392)
- $3,000 or more 44.3% (824)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
22 homes here (1.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Kansas handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Ottawa County pay about the same bill, a 0% gap.
Ottawa County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Ottawa County's effective rate is higher than 68% of the 105 counties in Kansas - ranking #34 of 105.
Where Ottawa County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.66% more affordable than 7% 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
Among the highest-taxed counties in the country
At 1.66%, Ottawa County sits in the top 7% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. That is the rate, not the bill: a high rate on a modest home can still produce a smaller cheque than a low rate on an expensive one, which is why the $2,760 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Ottawa County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Ottawa County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.7% | - | - |
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.
Ottawa County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Ottawa County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $166,000 median home carries a $2,760 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $276 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Kansas.
Ottawa County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,760 +4.1% | 1.66% |
| 2023 | $2,651 +3.8% | 1.62% |
| 2022 | $2,554 +7.5% | 1.62% |
| 2021 | $2,376 +7.1% | 1.70% |
| 2020 | $2,219 | 1.89% |
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.
Ottawa County: tax-to-income at 3.7%
Counties near Ottawa County's effective rate
On effective rate, Ottawa County sits nearest Linn County (IA), Hillsborough County (NH), Monroe County (PA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Ogemaw County (MI), Hertford County (NC), Carbon County (MT).
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
Ottawa County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 90 of 2,750 returns from Ottawa County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,478 - 44% of those reporters sat in the $50-75k 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 Kansas
Ottawa County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Ottawa County?
- Ottawa County, Kansas scores F (32/100) 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 A (+$7). 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 Ottawa County, Kansas?
- The median annual property tax in Ottawa County is $2,760, an effective rate of 1.66% on a $166,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Ottawa County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Ottawa County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.66% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Ottawa County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Ottawa County jumped 24.4% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,219 to $2,760, 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 Ottawa County?
- Property taxes in Ottawa County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $74,018 median household income.
What to do with Ottawa County's STEEP rate
Ottawa County's $2,760 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Ottawa County ranks #34 of 105 Kansas counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Kansas overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Ottawa 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: 1.66%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,760/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Ottawa County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Ottawa County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Houston County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,756/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.15% vs Ottawa County 1.66%.
Madera County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,756/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 0.70% vs Ottawa County 1.66%.
Marshall County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,766/yr (near-tied bill ABS $6); rate 1.94% vs Ottawa County 1.66%.
Barry County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,769/yr (near-tied bill ABS $9); rate 1.05% vs Ottawa County 1.66%.
Kansas county set
State ACS overview for every published Kansas county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Ottawa 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 Ottawa County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.