Wisconsin · County property tax · ACS 2024
Racine County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Racine County pays $4,099 a year, an effective rate of 1.63%, far above the U.S. average.
- $4,099
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 1.63%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +106%
- vs U.S. average
- #5 of 72
- rank in WI
The verdict
Homeowners in Racine County pay a median $4,099 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.63%, more affordable than 7% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $4,099
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.63%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2900 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +106%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($251,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Wisconsin. Population: 197,532. Owner-occupied homes: 57,122.
The median annual property tax in Racine County is $4,099, which is 8% higher than the Wisconsin state average and 106% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.63% on a median home value of $251,400. Property taxes represent 5.2% of the median household income in this county.
Why Racine County's ACS bill runs high vs the U.S.
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Racine County pay a median annual property tax of $4,099, far above the national median and modestly above the Wisconsin state median. On a $251,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.63% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
Low among Wisconsin counties by effective rate
Racine County ranks #5 of 72 counties in Wisconsin by effective rate (93% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The effective rate is a national headwind
Racine County's 1.63% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 93% pay more.
Decision signal 4
Income carries a heavy tax share
Property taxes in Racine County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 5.2% of the $78,096 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Racine 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Racine County's effective rate fell 16.4% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 33.9%, leaving the median bill 12.0% higher at $4,099. That rate move is larger than the one in 70% 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 $3,659 to $4,099, a gain of 12%. 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: 43,278 of 57,122 owner-occupied homes (75.8%) 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 5.2% 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.
What Racine County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Racine County homeowners, 43,278 of 57,122 owner-occupied homes (75.8%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 1.7% (966)
- $800 to $1,499 3.3% (1,904)
- $1,500 to $1,999 3.5% (2,025)
- $2,000 to $2,999 14.4% (8,219)
- $3,000 or more 75.8% (43,278)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
730 homes here (1.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Wisconsin handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Racine County, mortgaged homeowners pay 10% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Racine County's bill vs state & U.S. medians
Median annual bill bars around Racine County's HEAVY ACS 2024 figure.
Racine County's median bill is 8% above the Wisconsin median and 106% above the U.S. median.
Among the highest-taxed counties in the country
At 1.63%, Racine County sits in the top 7% 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 $4,099 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Racine County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Racine County | Wisconsin 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 | 5.2% | - | - |
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.
Is Racine County's $4,099 median bill appeal-worthy?
At Racine County's $4,099 ACS median (HEAVY), a 10% assessment cut is worth about $410/yr before exemptions. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Wisconsin.
Racine County bill trail · HEAVY
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,099 +0.7% | 1.63% |
| 2023 | $4,071 +2.2% | 1.70% |
| 2022 | $3,984 +5.9% | 1.76% |
| 2021 | $3,763 +2.8% | 1.93% |
| 2020 | $3,659 | 1.95% |
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.
Racine County: tax takes 5.2% of income
Counties near Racine County's median bill
On effective rate, Racine County sits nearest Sioux County (NE), Wayne County (MI), Reno County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Walthall County (MS), Nolan County (TX), Mineral 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
Racine County: only 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 5,050 of 98,990 returns from Racine County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,524 - 35% 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
Racine County bill FAQs
- How does Racine County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Racine County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.63% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Racine County?
- Property taxes in Racine County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 5.2% of the $78,096 median household income.
- What is the average property tax in Racine County, Wisconsin?
- The median annual property tax in Racine County is $4,099, an effective rate of 1.63% on a $251,400 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Racine County?
- Racine County, Wisconsin scores F (14/100) 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 D (+$392). 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 Racine County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Racine County climbed 12.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $3,659 to $4,099, 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 Racine County's HEAVY bill
Racine County's $4,099 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 5.2% of Racine County's $78,096 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by median bill (then rate)
Bill-first peers for Racine County's HEAVY median, then a disjoint out-of-state rate set, not the same-state geography lattice.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.63%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $4,099/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Racine County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Racine County (STEEP · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP HEAVY
Whatcom County, WA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $4,087/yr (near-tied bill ABS $12); rate 0.70% vs Racine County 1.63%.
Genesee County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $4,113/yr (near-tied bill ABS $14); rate 2.41% vs Racine County 1.63%.
Pitkin County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $4,074/yr (near-tied bill ABS $25); rate 0.36% vs Racine County 1.63%.
Greene County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $4,071/yr (near-tied bill ABS $28); rate 1.61% vs Racine County 1.63%.
Wisconsin county set
State ACS overview for every published Wisconsin county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Racine County stamps STEEP · HEAVY - 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 Racine County (STEEP · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.