Wisconsin · County property tax · ACS 2024
Polk County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Polk County pays $3,075 a year, an effective rate of 1.13%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,075
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.13%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +54%
- vs U.S. average
- #60 of 72
- rank in WI
The verdict
Homeowners in Polk County pay a median $3,075 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.13%, more affordable than 27% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,075
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.13%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2296 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +54%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($271,900). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Wisconsin. Population: 45,555. Owner-occupied homes: 15,833.
The median annual property tax in Polk County is $3,075, which is 19% lower than the Wisconsin state average and 54% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.13% on a median home value of $271,900. Property taxes represent 4.0% of the median household income in this county.
Polk County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Polk County's 1.13% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 27%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Polk County pay a median annual property tax of $3,075, far above the national median and notably lower than the Wisconsin state median. On a $271,900 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.13% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Wisconsin counties by effective rate
Polk County ranks #60 of 72 counties in Wisconsin by effective rate (17% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Polk County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.0% of the $77,219 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Polk 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 Polk County rose 53.5%, from $177,100 to $271,900. The effective rate fell 25.9% over the same span, a steeper move than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 13.7%, to $3,075. 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 $2,704 to $3,075, 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: 7,949 of 15,833 owner-occupied homes (50.2%) 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.
Earnings are in the national top quarter and the rate is above the midpoint, so the median bill represents 4.0% of median household income. A headline bill conflates the dollar figure with the proportion; the two come apart here, and the ratio above is the second of them.
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 Polk County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Polk County homeowners, 7,949 of 15,833 owner-occupied homes (50.2%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 4.3% (674)
- $800 to $1,499 8.2% (1,306)
- $1,500 to $1,999 8.6% (1,361)
- $2,000 to $2,999 26.1% (4,136)
- $3,000 or more 50.2% (7,949)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
407 homes here (2.6%) 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 Polk County pay about the same bill, a 3% gap.
Polk County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Polk County's effective rate is higher than 17% of the 72 counties in Wisconsin - ranking #60 of 72.
Where Polk County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.13% more affordable than 27% 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
Polk County's effective rate runs 20% under the Wisconsin median and its bill 19% 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 $3,075 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.
Polk County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Polk County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 4.0% | - | - |
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.
Polk County is PAR · HEAVY on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Wisconsin counties.
Polk County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,075 +4.3% | 1.13% |
| 2023 | $2,947 +1.0% | 1.22% |
| 2022 | $2,919 +4.2% | 1.31% |
| 2021 | $2,801 +3.6% | 1.44% |
| 2020 | $2,704 | 1.53% |
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.
Polk County: tax-to-income at 4.0%
Counties near Polk County's effective rate
On effective rate, Polk County sits nearest Comal County (TX), Brewster County (TX), Brookings County (SD).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Warren County (NY), York County (PA), Mingo County (WV).
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
Polk County: only 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,200 of 22,810 returns from Polk County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,702 - 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
Polk County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Polk County?
- Polk County, Wisconsin scores F (30/100) 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 B+ (+$101). 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.
- How does Polk County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Polk County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.13% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Polk County, Wisconsin?
- The median annual property tax in Polk County is $3,075, an effective rate of 1.13% on a $271,900 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Polk County?
- Property taxes in Polk County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.0% of the $77,219 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Polk County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Polk County climbed 13.7% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,704 to $3,075, 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 Polk County's PAR rate
Polk County's $3,075 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Polk County ranks #60 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 Polk 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: 1.13%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,075/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Polk County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Polk County (PAR · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR HEAVY
Gray County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,071/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.49% vs Polk County 1.13%.
Yuba County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,071/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 0.74% vs Polk County 1.13%.
Isanti County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,081/yr (near-tied bill ABS $6); rate 1.01% vs Polk County 1.13%.
Cecil County, MD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,068/yr (near-tied bill ABS $7); rate 0.89% vs Polk County 1.13%.
Wisconsin county set
State ACS overview for every published Wisconsin county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Polk County stamps PAR · HEAVY - 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 Polk County (PAR · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.