Kansas · County property tax · ACS 2024
Riley County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Riley County pays $3,466 a year, an effective rate of 1.46%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,466
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.46%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +74%
- vs U.S. average
- #68 of 105
- rank in KS
The verdict
Homeowners in Riley County pay a median $3,466 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.46%, more affordable than 12% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,466
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.46%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2750 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +74%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($237,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Kansas. Population: 71,946. Owner-occupied homes: 12,763.
The median annual property tax in Riley County is $3,466, which is 24% higher than the Kansas state average and 74% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.46% on a median home value of $237,100. Property taxes represent 5.7% of the median household income in this county.
Riley County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Riley County's 1.46% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 12%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Riley County pay a median annual property tax of $3,466, far above the national median and notably higher than the Kansas state median. On a $237,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.46% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a heavy tax share
Property taxes in Riley County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 5.7% of the $61,098 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Kansas counties by effective rate
Riley County ranks #68 of 105 counties in Kansas by effective rate (35% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Riley 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 held while the market moved
Riley County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 4.2% down, against a median home value that rose 15.2%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 10.3%, from $3,143 to $3,466.
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 $3,143 to $3,466, a gain of 10%. 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: 7,168 of 12,763 owner-occupied homes (56.2%) 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.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 5.7% 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 Riley County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Riley County homeowners, 7,168 of 12,763 owner-occupied homes (56.2%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 8.1% (1,033)
- $800 to $1,499 6.1% (782)
- $1,500 to $1,999 4.7% (598)
- $2,000 to $2,999 20.5% (2,622)
- $3,000 or more 56.2% (7,168)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
560 homes here (4.4%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Kansas handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Riley County, mortgaged homeowners pay 14% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Riley County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Riley County's effective rate is higher than 35% of the 105 counties in Kansas - ranking #68 of 105.
Where Riley County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.46% 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
Riley County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Riley County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 5.7% | - | - |
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.
Riley County's STEEP · HEAVY lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Riley County's published figures (STEEP · HEAVY), a $237,100 median home carries a $3,466 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $347 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Kansas.
Riley County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,466 +4.5% | 1.46% |
| 2023 | $3,317 -2.0% | 1.43% |
| 2022 | $3,383 +3.7% | 1.46% |
| 2021 | $3,263 +3.8% | 1.54% |
| 2020 | $3,143 | 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.
Riley County: tax takes 5.7% of income
Counties near Riley County's effective rate
On effective rate, Riley County sits nearest Baltimore city (MD), Jefferson County (NE), Nassau County (NY).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are McKenzie County (ND), Clinton County (PA), Wyoming 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
Riley County: only 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,410 of 26,170 returns from Riley County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,783 - 34% 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 Kansas
Riley County rate FAQs
- How does Riley County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Riley County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.46% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Riley County?
- Riley County, Kansas 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 F (+$445). 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.
- What is the average property tax in Riley County, Kansas?
- The median annual property tax in Riley County is $3,466, an effective rate of 1.46% on a $237,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Riley County?
- Property taxes in Riley County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 5.7% of the $61,098 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Riley County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Riley County climbed 10.3% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $3,143 to $3,466, 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 Riley County's STEEP rate
Riley County's $3,466 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 5.7% of Riley County's $61,098 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Riley 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: 1.46%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,466/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Riley County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Riley County (STEEP · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP HEAVY
Wise County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Riley County at $3,466/yr; rate 1.14% vs Riley County 1.46%.
Sagadahoc County, ME
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,470/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.04% vs Riley County 1.46%.
McLennan County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,471/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 1.42% vs Riley County 1.46%.
Chambers County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,474/yr (near-tied bill ABS $8); rate 1.05% vs Riley County 1.46%.
Kansas county set
State ACS overview for every published Kansas county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Riley 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 Riley County (STEEP · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.