Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Palo Alto County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Palo Alto County pays $1,474 a year, an effective rate of 1.20%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,474
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 1.20%
- Effective rate · High rate
- -26%
- vs U.S. average
- #76 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Palo Alto County pay a median $1,474 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.20%, more affordable than 23% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,474
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.20%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2405 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -26%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($123,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 8,863. Owner-occupied homes: 2,915.
The median annual property tax in Palo Alto County is $1,474, which is 49% lower than the Iowa state average and 26% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.20% on a median home value of $123,200. Property taxes represent 2.0% of the median household income in this county.
Palo Alto County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Palo Alto County's 1.20% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 23%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Palo Alto County pay a median annual property tax of $1,474, well below the national median and well below the Iowa state median. On a $123,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.20% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Iowa counties by effective rate
Palo Alto County ranks #76 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (23% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Palo Alto County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.0% of the $72,781 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Palo Alto 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 6.2% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 74% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 14.8%, the median bill rose 7.7% to $1,474: 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
Very little moved here between 2020 and 2024: the typical bill went from $1,368 to $1,474, a change of 8%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 741 of 2,915 owner-occupied homes (25.4%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
The rate is in the national top quarter while earnings are only moderately above the midpoint, so the median bill claims 2.0% 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 Palo Alto County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Palo Alto County homeowners, 741 of 2,915 owner-occupied homes (25.4%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 24.7% (719)
- $800 to $1,499 25.4% (741)
- $1,500 to $1,999 16.4% (478)
- $2,000 to $2,999 13.4% (392)
- $3,000 or more 18.3% (533)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
52 homes here (1.8%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Palo Alto County pay about the same bill, a 6% gap.
Palo Alto County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Palo Alto County's effective rate is higher than 23% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #76 of 99.
Where Palo Alto County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.20% more affordable than 23% 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
Palo Alto County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Palo Alto County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.0% | - | - |
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.
Palo Alto County is PAR · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Iowa counties.
Palo Alto County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,474 +0.2% | 1.20% |
| 2023 | $1,471 +0.5% | 1.23% |
| 2022 | $1,464 +6.6% | 1.25% |
| 2021 | $1,374 +0.4% | 1.24% |
| 2020 | $1,368 | 1.27% |
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.
Palo Alto County: tax-to-income at 2.0%
Counties near Palo Alto County's effective rate
On effective rate, Palo Alto County sits nearest St. Louis County (MO), Clay County (NE), Dixon County (NE).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Iberville Parish (LA), Venango County (PA), Douglas County (WI).
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
Palo Alto County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 160 of 4,090 returns from Palo Alto County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,525 - 31% 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 Iowa
Palo Alto County rate FAQs
- How does Palo Alto County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Palo Alto County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.20% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Palo Alto County, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Palo Alto County is $1,474, an effective rate of 1.20% on a $123,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Palo Alto County?
- Palo Alto County, Iowa scores C (56/100) 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+ (1.69×). 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 Palo Alto County?
- Property taxes in Palo Alto County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.0% of the $72,781 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Palo Alto County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Palo Alto County ticked up 7.7% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,368 to $1,474, 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 Palo Alto County's PAR rate
Palo Alto County's $1,474 median bill sits well below the U.S. median - still size a parcel estimate; local millage and exemptions move the real bill. Estimate your bill →
Palo Alto County ranks #76 of 99 Iowa counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Iowa overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Palo Alto 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: 1.20%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,474/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Palo Alto County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Palo Alto County (PAR · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR LIGHT
Tippecanoe County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Palo Alto County at $1,474/yr; rate 0.62% vs Palo Alto County 1.20%.
Vanderburgh County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Palo Alto County at $1,474/yr; rate 0.80% vs Palo Alto County 1.20%.
Big Stone County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,473/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.87% vs Palo Alto County 1.20%.
Coshocton County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,473/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.95% vs Palo Alto County 1.20%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Palo Alto County stamps PAR · LIGHT - 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 Palo Alto County (PAR · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.