Texas · County property tax · ACS 2024
Refugio County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Refugio County pays $1,458 a year, an effective rate of 1.47%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,458
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 1.47%
- Effective rate · High rate
- -27%
- vs U.S. average
- #53 of 250
- rank in TX
The verdict
Homeowners in Refugio County pay a median $1,458 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.47%, more affordable than 12% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,458
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.47%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2767 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -27%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($99,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Refugio County, TX
43/100
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.
Median home value relative to Refugio County's median income
Refugio County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Median tax as a share of Refugio County's median household income
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Refugio County
Refugio County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Read the chart values
- Housing pressure: 100/100 (A+) · 1.65×
- Bill size: 57/100 (C) · $1,458/yr
- Income room: 51/100 (C-) · 2.4%
- Mortgage premium: 35/100 (F) · +$451
- Rate relief: 12/100 (F) · 1.47%
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Texas. Population: 6,707. Owner-occupied homes: 1,921.
The median annual property tax in Refugio County is $1,458, which is 66% lower than the Texas state average and 27% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.47% on a median home value of $99,000. Property taxes represent 2.4% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Refugio County
Primary signal
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Refugio County pay a median annual property tax of $1,458, well below the national median and far below the Texas state median. On a $99,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.47% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Refugio County's 1.47% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 12%).
Decision signal 3
Low among Texas counties by effective rate
Refugio County ranks #53 of 250 counties in Texas by effective rate (79% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Refugio County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $60,181 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 Refugio 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.
The rate held while the market moved
Refugio County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 2.2% up, against a median home value that rose 15.8%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 18.3%, from $1,232 to $1,458.
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 $1,232 to $1,458, 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 largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 607 of 1,921 owner-occupied homes (31.6%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 2.4% of median household income. A rate ranking places this county by the rate alone; the ratio above is the figure that accounts for what is earned 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 Refugio County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Refugio County homeowners, 607 of 1,921 owner-occupied homes (31.6%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 31.6% (607)
- $800 to $1,499 15.4% (296)
- $1,500 to $1,999 14.9% (286)
- $2,000 to $2,999 13.2% (254)
- $3,000 or more 17.1% (328)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
150 homes here (7.8%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Texas handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Refugio County pay a substantially higher bill, 36% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
How Refugio County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Refugio County's effective rate is higher than 79% of the 250 counties in Texas - ranking #53 of 250 for property tax burden.
Where Refugio County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.47% more affordable than 12% 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
Same rate as Texas, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 1% of the Texas median, yet the median bill runs 66% below it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to cheaper housing produces $1,458 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Refugio County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Refugio County | Texas Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.4% | - | - |
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.
Refugio County's STEEP · LIGHT lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Refugio County's published figures (STEEP · LIGHT), a $99,000 median home carries a $1,458 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $146 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 Texas.
Property Tax History · STEEP · LIGHT
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,458 +10.0% | 1.47% |
| 2023 | $1,325 +1.1% | 1.40% |
| 2022 | $1,310 +9.0% | 1.41% |
| 2021 | $1,202 -2.4% | 1.42% |
| 2020 | $1,232 | 1.44% |
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 Refugio 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 Refugio County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Refugio County sits nearest Franklin County (OH), Warren County (NY), Essex County (NY).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Rock County (WI), Clinton County (MO), Sweetwater County (WY).
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 Refugio County
Of the 3,170 federal returns filed from Refugio County in 2022, 150 (4.7% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $2,953 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 53% 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 Texas
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Refugio County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What is the average property tax in Refugio County, Texas? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Refugio County? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Refugio County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Refugio County? ▼
What to do with Refugio County's numbers
- Refugio County's $1,458 median bill sits well below the U.S. median - still size a parcel estimate; local millage and exemptions move the real bill. Estimate your bill →
- Refugio County ranks #53 of 250 Texas counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Texas overview →
- If Refugio County's assessment looks high versus the $99,000 typical home, check Texas'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 ($99,000); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
Nationwide peers by effective rate & median bill
Two PlainPropertyTax-derived comparison paths for Refugio County, both outside Texas so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice. Axes stay disjoint: median-bill peers exclude the effective-rate peer set.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.47%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,458/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Refugio County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Refugio County (STEEP · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP LIGHT
Eastland County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,459/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.08% vs Refugio County 1.47%.
Hawaii County, HI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,459/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.28% vs Refugio County 1.47%.
Scioto County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,459/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.06% vs Refugio County 1.47%.
Jackson County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,460/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.93% vs Refugio County 1.47%.
Texas county set
State ACS overview for every published Texas county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Refugio County stamps STEEP · LIGHT - 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.
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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 Refugio County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.