California · County property tax · ACS 2024
San Luis Obispo County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in San Luis Obispo County pays $5,636 a year, an effective rate of 0.68%, far above the U.S. average.
- $5,636
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 0.68%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- +183%
- vs U.S. average
- #40 of 58
- rank in CA
The verdict
Homeowners in San Luis Obispo County pay a median $5,636 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.68%, more affordable than 62% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $5,636
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.68%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1192 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +183%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($824,700). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · San Luis Obispo County, CA
19/100
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.
San Luis Obispo County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Median tax as a share of San Luis Obispo County's median household income
San Luis Obispo County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in San Luis Obispo County
Median home value relative to San Luis Obispo County's median income
Read the chart values
- Rate relief: 63/100 (C+) · 0.68%
- Income room: 0/100 (F) · 5.8%
- Bill size: 0/100 (F) · $5,636/yr
- Mortgage premium: 0/100 (F) · +$1,502
- Housing pressure: 0/100 (F) · 8.46×
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for California. Population: 281,555. Owner-occupied homes: 67,986.
The median annual property tax in San Luis Obispo County is $5,636, which is 10% higher than the California state average and 183% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.68% on a median home value of $824,700. Property taxes represent 5.8% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About San Luis Obispo County
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in San Luis Obispo County pay a median annual property tax of $5,636, far above the national median and notably higher than the California state median. On a $824,700 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.68% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
Income carries a heavy tax share
Property taxes in San Luis Obispo County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 5.8% of the $97,446 median household income.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of California counties by effective rate
San Luis Obispo County ranks #40 of 58 counties in California by effective rate (31% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
The effective rate sits near the national middle
San Luis Obispo County's 0.68% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 62%).
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in San Luis Obispo 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
San Luis Obispo County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 3.6% down, against a median home value that rose 36.3%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 31.3%, from $4,292 to $5,636.
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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 31% from $4,292 to $5,636. These ACS medians describe the reported change; they do not identify whether a levy, assessment, home value, or change in the responding households caused it.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 50,303 of 67,986 owner-occupied homes (74.0%) 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.
Top-quartile earnings meet a below-median rate, putting the median bill at 5.8% of median household income. Counties in this position span a wide range on the ratio above, because the dollar bill tracks home values rather than the rate.
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 San Luis Obispo County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of San Luis Obispo County homeowners, 50,303 of 67,986 owner-occupied homes (74.0%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 4.2% (2,842)
- $800 to $1,499 5.3% (3,608)
- $1,500 to $1,999 3.8% (2,580)
- $2,000 to $2,999 8.5% (5,787)
- $3,000 or more 74.0% (50,303)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
2,866 homes here (4.2%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how California handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in San Luis Obispo County pay a substantially higher bill, 33% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
How San Luis Obispo County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
San Luis Obispo County's effective rate is higher than 31% of the 58 counties in California - ranking #40 of 58 for property tax burden.
Where San Luis Obispo County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.68% Among the most affordable more affordable than 62% 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
What changed since 2020
The median bill in San Luis Obispo County moved from $4,292 in the 2020 release to $5,636 in 2024, a change of about 31%. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates compared across releases that share only one sample year, which is why this page never compares consecutive releases: those overlap in four years of the same households and move mostly on sampling.
San Luis Obispo County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | San Luis Obispo County | California Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Highest-decile bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 5.8% | - | - |
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.
San Luis Obispo County stamps QUIET · SPIKE - still check the parcel card
On San Luis Obispo County's published figures (QUIET · SPIKE), a $824,700 median home carries a $5,636 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $564 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 California.
Property Tax History · QUIET · SPIKE
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,636 +2.9% | 0.68% |
| 2023 | $5,475 +8.1% | 0.70% |
| 2022 | $5,066 +10.2% | 0.70% |
| 2021 | $4,598 +7.1% | 0.73% |
| 2020 | $4,292 | 0.71% |
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 well below the national average of 0.92% puts San Luis Obispo County in the "Very Affordable" 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 San Luis Obispo County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, San Luis Obispo County sits nearest Brevard County (FL), Burke County (GA), Murray County (GA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Elk County (KS), Tippah County (MS), Tyler County (TX).
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 San Luis Obispo County
Of the 133,940 federal returns filed from San Luis Obispo County in 2022, 20,300 (15.2% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $7,639 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 36% 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 California
Frequently Asked Questions
How does San Luis Obispo County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What is the average property tax in San Luis Obispo County, California? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in San Luis Obispo County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in San Luis Obispo County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for San Luis Obispo County? ▼
What to do with San Luis Obispo County's numbers
- San Luis Obispo County's $5,636 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 5.8% of San Luis Obispo County's $97,446 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
- San Luis Obispo County ranks #40 of 58 California counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. California overview →
- If San Luis Obispo County's assessment looks high versus the $824,700 typical home, check California'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 ($824,700); 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 San Luis Obispo County, both outside California 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: 0.68%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $5,636/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with San Luis Obispo County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for San Luis Obispo County (QUIET · SPIKE), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET SPIKE
Kendall County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $5,656/yr (near-tied bill ABS $20); rate 1.10% vs San Luis Obispo County 0.68%.
Monroe County, NY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $5,616/yr (near-tied bill ABS $20); rate 2.63% vs San Luis Obispo County 0.68%.
Los Angeles County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $5,675/yr (near-tied bill ABS $39); rate 0.68% vs San Luis Obispo County 0.68%.
Washtenaw County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $5,678/yr (near-tied bill ABS $42); rate 1.52% vs San Luis Obispo County 0.68%.
California county set
State ACS overview for every published California county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
San Luis Obispo County stamps QUIET · SPIKE - 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.
Share and download this county card
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 San Luis Obispo County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.