Illinois · County property tax · ACS 2024
Putnam County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Putnam County pays $2,705 a year, an effective rate of 1.57%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,705
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.57%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +36%
- vs U.S. average
- #77 of 102
- rank in IL
The verdict
Homeowners in Putnam County pay a median $2,705 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.57%, more affordable than 9% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,705
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.57%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2855 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +36%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($172,700). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Illinois. Population: 5,601. Owner-occupied homes: 2,008.
The median annual property tax in Putnam County is $2,705, which is 49% lower than the Illinois state average and 36% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.57% on a median home value of $172,700. Property taxes represent 3.6% of the median household income in this county.
Putnam County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Putnam County's 1.57% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 91% pay more.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Putnam County pay a median annual property tax of $2,705, well above the national median and well below the Illinois state median. On a $172,700 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.57% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Illinois counties by effective rate
Putnam County ranks #77 of 102 counties in Illinois by effective rate (25% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Putnam County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.6% of the $75,590 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Putnam 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 7.7% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 69% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 28.1%, the median bill rose 18.3% to $2,705: 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 $2,287 to $2,705, 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 heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 837 of 2,008 owner-occupied homes (41.7%) 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 3.6% 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 Putnam County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Putnam County homeowners, 837 of 2,008 owner-occupied homes (41.7%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 8.4% (169)
- $800 to $1,499 11.1% (223)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.7% (234)
- $2,000 to $2,999 25.6% (515)
- $3,000 or more 41.7% (837)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
30 homes here (1.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Illinois handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Putnam County, mortgaged homeowners pay 12% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Putnam County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Putnam County's effective rate is higher than 25% of the 102 counties in Illinois - ranking #77 of 102.
Where Putnam County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.57% more affordable than 9% 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 1.57%, Putnam County sits in the top 9% 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 $2,705 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Putnam County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Putnam County | Illinois 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 | 3.6% | - | - |
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.
Putnam County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Putnam County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $172,700 median home carries a $2,705 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $271 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Illinois.
Putnam County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,705 +1.4% | 1.57% |
| 2023 | $2,668 +1.6% | 1.59% |
| 2022 | $2,625 +7.1% | 1.63% |
| 2021 | $2,452 +7.2% | 1.77% |
| 2020 | $2,287 | 1.70% |
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.
Putnam County: tax-to-income at 3.6%
Counties near Putnam County's effective rate
On effective rate, Putnam County sits nearest Pottawattamie County (IA), Bourbon County (KS), Gaines County (TX).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Day County (SD), Hamilton County (TN), Huntingdon County (PA).
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
Putnam County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 80 of 2,930 returns from Putnam County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,588 - 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 Illinois
Putnam County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Putnam County?
- Putnam County, Illinois scores F (28/100) 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 B+ (2.28×). 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 Putnam County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Putnam County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.57% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Putnam County, Illinois?
- The median annual property tax in Putnam County is $2,705, an effective rate of 1.57% on a $172,700 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- Are property taxes increasing in Putnam County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Putnam County climbed 18.3% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,287 to $2,705, 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 Putnam County?
- Property taxes in Putnam County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.6% of the $75,590 median household income.
What to do with Putnam County's STEEP rate
Putnam County's $2,705 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Putnam County ranks #77 of 102 Illinois counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Illinois overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Putnam 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: 1.57%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,705/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Putnam County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Putnam County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Aransas County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Putnam County at $2,705/yr; rate 1.02% vs Putnam County 1.57%.
Shawnee County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Putnam County at $2,705/yr; rate 1.50% vs Putnam County 1.57%.
Beaver County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,704/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.42% vs Putnam County 1.57%.
Osceola County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,700/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 0.76% vs Putnam County 1.57%.
Illinois county set
State ACS overview for every published Illinois county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Putnam 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 Putnam County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.