Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Polk County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Polk County pays $4,396 a year, an effective rate of 1.68%, far above the U.S. average.
- $4,396
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 1.68%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +121%
- vs U.S. average
- #2 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Polk County pay a median $4,396 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.68%, more affordable than 6% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $4,396
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.68%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2936 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +121%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($262,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Polk County, IA
13/100
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.
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Polk County
Median home value relative to Polk County's median income
Polk County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Median tax as a share of Polk County's median household income
Polk County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Polk County affordability profile (scored ACS dimensions)
Read the chart values
- Mortgage premium: 43/100 (D) · +$373
- Housing pressure: 43/100 (D) · 3.14×
- Rate relief: 6/100 (F) · 1.68%
- Income room: 2/100 (F) · 5.3%
- Bill size: 2/100 (F) · $4,396/yr
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 503,175. Owner-occupied homes: 138,309.
The median annual property tax in Polk County is $4,396, which is 52% higher than the Iowa state average and 121% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.68% on a median home value of $262,100. Property taxes represent 5.3% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Polk County
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Polk County pay a median annual property tax of $4,396, far above the national median and far above the Iowa state median. On a $262,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.68% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
Low among Iowa counties by effective rate
Polk County ranks #2 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (98% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The effective rate is a national headwind
Polk County's 1.68% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 94% pay more.
Decision signal 4
Income carries a heavy tax share
Property taxes in Polk County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 5.3% of the $83,576 median household income.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Polk 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Polk County's effective rate fell 13.6% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 37.7%, leaving the median bill 18.9% higher at $4,396. That rate move is larger than the one in 57% 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 $3,696 to $4,396, a gain of 19%. 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: 100,412 of 138,309 owner-occupied homes (72.6%) 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 5.3% 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.
Polk County is an outlier inside Iowa
Across the 99 Iowa counties with a published rate, the average effective rate is 1.31%. Polk County is at 1.68%, which sits 2.1 standard deviations above that average. Fewer than one county in twenty nationally is this far from its own state's centre, so a state-level average is a poor guide to what is owed here.
Standard deviations are computed across every county in the state with a published effective rate for 2024; states with fewer than five such counties are not assessed.
What Polk County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Polk County homeowners, 100,412 of 138,309 owner-occupied homes (72.6%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 3.6% (5,024)
- $800 to $1,499 4.1% (5,731)
- $1,500 to $1,999 4.2% (5,831)
- $2,000 to $2,999 12.7% (17,600)
- $3,000 or more 72.6% (100,412)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
3,711 homes here (2.7%) 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 Polk County pay about the same bill, a 9% gap.
How Polk County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Polk County's effective rate is higher than 98% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #2 of 99 for property tax burden.
Where Polk County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.68% more affordable than 6% 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 1.68%, Polk County sits in the top 6% 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 $4,396 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Polk County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Polk County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Highest-decile bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 5.3% | - | - |
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.
Think your Polk County property tax bill is too high?
On Polk County's published figures, a $262,100 median home carries a $4,396 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $440 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 Iowa.
Property Tax History
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,396 +0.7% | 1.68% |
| 2023 | $4,364 +3.7% | 1.76% |
| 2022 | $4,208 +8.1% | 1.81% |
| 2021 | $3,891 +5.3% | 1.93% |
| 2020 | $3,696 | 1.94% |
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 far above the national average of 0.92% puts Polk County in the "Expensive" 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 Polk County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Polk County sits nearest Montgomery County (IL), Barton County (KS), Franklin County (NY).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Athens County (OH), Guilford County (NC), Clay County (MO).
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 Polk County
Of the 241,940 federal returns filed from Polk County in 2022, 17,660 (7.3% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $6,943 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 33% 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 Iowa
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Polk County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Polk County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Polk County, Iowa? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Polk County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Polk County? ▼
What to do with Polk County's numbers
- Polk County's $4,396 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
- Income burden is elevated here: about 5.3% of Polk County's $83,576 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
- Polk County ranks #2 of 99 Iowa counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state board. Iowa overview →
- If Polk County's assessment looks high versus the $262,100 typical home, check Iowa'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 ($262,100); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
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.
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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 Polk County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.