Arizona · County property tax · ACS 2024
Santa Cruz County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Santa Cruz County pays $1,415 a year, an effective rate of 0.61%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,415
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.61%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- -29%
- vs U.S. average
- #5 of 15
- rank in AZ
The verdict
Homeowners in Santa Cruz County pay a median $1,415 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.61%, more affordable than 70% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,415
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.61%
- Effective rate on median home
- #932 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -29%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($233,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Arizona. Population: 48,926. Owner-occupied homes: 11,749.
The median annual property tax in Santa Cruz County is $1,415, which is 25% lower than the Arizona state average and 29% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.61% on a median home value of $233,000. Property taxes represent 2.6% of the median household income in this county.
Santa Cruz County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Santa Cruz County's 0.61% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 70%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Santa Cruz County pay a median annual property tax of $1,415, well below the national median and well below the Arizona state median. On a $233,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.61% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Arizona counties by effective rate
Santa Cruz County ranks #5 of 15 counties in Arizona by effective rate (67% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Santa Cruz County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.6% of the $55,217 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Santa Cruz 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 gave way faster than almost anywhere
Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Santa Cruz County rose 52.6%, from $152,700 to $233,000. The effective rate fell 20.1% over the same span, a steeper move than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 22.0%, to $1,415. Where the rate drops this far and the bill rises anyway, what changed is the value the rate is applied to.
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 $1,160 to $1,415, a gain of 22%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 4,006 of 11,749 owner-occupied homes (34.1%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Incomes here are in the lowest quarter nationally while the rate sits just below the middle, and the median bill lands at 2.6% of median household income. The rate reads as unremarkable in a national ranking; the earnings behind it are not, and the ratio above is where the two meet.
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 Santa Cruz County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Santa Cruz County homeowners, 4,006 of 11,749 owner-occupied homes (34.1%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 19.2% (2,260)
- $800 to $1,499 34.1% (4,006)
- $1,500 to $1,999 14.6% (1,711)
- $2,000 to $2,999 15.6% (1,838)
- $3,000 or more 14.9% (1,746)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
188 homes here (1.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Arizona handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Santa Cruz County pay about the same bill, a 9% gap.
Santa Cruz County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Santa Cruz County's effective rate is higher than 67% of the 15 counties in Arizona - ranking #5 of 15.
Where Santa Cruz County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.61% Among the most affordable more affordable than 70% 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
A high rate, a smaller bill
Santa Cruz County taxes property at 0.61%, about 27% above the Arizona average, yet its median bill of $1,415 lands roughly 25% below it. The effective rate is the bill divided by the home's value, so a county can only sit on opposite sides of the state average this way when its homes are worth materially less than the state norm. The rate is the policy; the bill is what the housing market does with it.
Santa Cruz County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Santa Cruz County | Arizona Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.6% | - | - |
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.
Santa Cruz County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Arizona counties.
Santa Cruz County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,415 +2.0% | 0.61% |
| 2023 | $1,387 +5.2% | 0.64% |
| 2022 | $1,318 +6.0% | 0.67% |
| 2021 | $1,243 +7.2% | 0.75% |
| 2020 | $1,160 | 0.76% |
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.
Santa Cruz County: tax-to-income at 2.6%
Counties near Santa Cruz County's effective rate
On effective rate, Santa Cruz County sits nearest Lafayette County (AR), Miller County (AR), Del Norte County (CA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Chatham County (GA), Carter County (KY), Fayette County (AL).
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
Santa Cruz County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 630 of 23,640 returns from Santa Cruz County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,792 - 33% 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 Arizona
Santa Cruz County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Santa Cruz County, Arizona?
- The median annual property tax in Santa Cruz County is $1,415, an effective rate of 0.61% on a $233,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Santa Cruz County?
- Santa Cruz County, Arizona scores C (58/100) 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 B+ (+$117). 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 Santa Cruz County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Santa Cruz County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.61% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Santa Cruz County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Santa Cruz County jumped 22.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,160 to $1,415, 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 Santa Cruz County?
- Property taxes in Santa Cruz County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.6% of the $55,217 median household income.
What to do with Santa Cruz County's QUIET rate
Santa Cruz County's $1,415 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 →
Santa Cruz County ranks #5 of 15 Arizona counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Arizona overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Santa Cruz County's QUIET 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: 0.61%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,415/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Santa Cruz County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Santa Cruz County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Cameron County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,414/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.59% vs Santa Cruz County 0.61%.
Hand County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,413/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.89% vs Santa Cruz County 0.61%.
Polk County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,413/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.75% vs Santa Cruz County 0.61%.
Gallia County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,418/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.91% vs Santa Cruz County 0.61%.
Arizona county set
State ACS overview for every published Arizona county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Santa Cruz County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, county median real-estate taxes · 2024 Santa Cruz County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.