Montana · County property tax · ACS 2024
Pondera County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Pondera County pays $1,651 a year, an effective rate of 0.80%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,651
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.80%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- -17%
- vs U.S. average
- #18 of 56
- rank in MT
The verdict
Homeowners in Pondera County pay a median $1,651 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.80%, more affordable than 50% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,651
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.80%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1567 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -17%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($206,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Montana. Population: 6,035. Owner-occupied homes: 1,536.
The median annual property tax in Pondera County is $1,651, which is 39% lower than the Montana state average and 17% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.80% on a median home value of $206,100. Property taxes represent 3.2% of the median household income in this county.
Pondera County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Pondera County's 0.80% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 50%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Montana median
Homeowners in Pondera County pay a median annual property tax of $1,651, notably lower than the national median and well below the Montana state median. On a $206,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.80% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Montana counties by effective rate
Pondera County ranks #18 of 56 counties in Montana 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 Pondera County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.2% of the $52,338 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Pondera 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 Pondera County rose 48.4%, from $138,900 to $206,100. The effective rate fell 20.5% over the same span, a steeper move than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 17.9%, to $1,651. 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 $1,400 to $1,651, a gain of 18%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 468 of 1,536 owner-occupied homes (30.5%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Incomes here are in the lowest quarter nationally while the rate sits just below the middle, and the median bill lands at 3.2% of median household income. The rate reads as unremarkable in a national ranking; the earnings behind it are not, and the ratio above is where the two meet.
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 Pondera County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Pondera County homeowners, 468 of 1,536 owner-occupied homes (30.5%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 12.8% (197)
- $800 to $1,499 30.5% (468)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.8% (151)
- $2,000 to $2,999 20.0% (307)
- $3,000 or more 19.4% (298)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
115 homes here (7.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Montana handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Pondera County, mortgaged homeowners actually pay 22% less than those without a mortgage, a mild inversion from the national norm worth cross-checking against the historical table above.
Pondera County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Pondera County's effective rate is higher than 68% of the 56 counties in Montana - ranking #18 of 56.
Where Pondera County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.80% more affordable than 50% 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
Pondera County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Pondera County | Montana Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 3.2% | - | - |
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.
Pondera County is UNDER · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Montana counties.
Pondera County rate trail · UNDER
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,651 +4.2% | 0.80% |
| 2023 | $1,584 -5.7% | 0.88% |
| 2022 | $1,680 +10.5% | 0.98% |
| 2021 | $1,521 +8.6% | 1.02% |
| 2020 | $1,400 | 1.01% |
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.
Pondera County: tax-to-income at 3.2%
Counties near Pondera County's effective rate
On effective rate, Pondera County sits nearest Ray County (MO), Monroe County (MO), Jefferson County (MO).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Effingham County (IL), Collin County (TX), Clay County (SD).
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
Pondera County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 80 of 3,000 returns from Pondera County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,575 - 50% 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 Montana
Pondera County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Pondera County, Montana?
- The median annual property tax in Pondera County is $1,651, an effective rate of 0.80% on a $206,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Pondera County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Pondera County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.80% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Pondera County?
- Pondera County, Montana scores C- (50/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-400). 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.
- Are property taxes increasing in Pondera County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Pondera County climbed 17.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,400 to $1,651, 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 Pondera County?
- Property taxes in Pondera County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.2% of the $52,338 median household income.
What to do with Pondera County's UNDER rate
Inside Montana, Pondera County's $1,651 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Montana overview →
Pondera County ranks #18 of 56 Montana counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Montana overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Pondera County's UNDER 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: 0.80%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,651/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Pondera County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Pondera County (UNDER · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER MID
Henderson County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Pondera County at $1,651/yr; rate 1.58% vs Pondera County 0.80%.
Rabun County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Pondera County at $1,651/yr; rate 0.56% vs Pondera County 0.80%.
Surry County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Pondera County at $1,651/yr; rate 0.69% vs Pondera County 0.80%.
Douglas County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,653/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.99% vs Pondera County 0.80%.
Montana county set
State ACS overview for every published Montana county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Pondera County stamps UNDER · 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 Pondera County (UNDER · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.