Michigan · County property tax · ACS 2024
St. Joseph County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in St. Joseph County pays $1,959 a year, an effective rate of 1.10%, roughly in line with the U.S. average.
- $1,959
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.10%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -2%
- vs U.S. average
- #41 of 83
- rank in MI
The verdict
Homeowners in St. Joseph County pay a median $1,959 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.10%, more affordable than 28% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,959
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.10%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2246 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -2%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($178,300). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Michigan. Population: 60,969. Owner-occupied homes: 17,980.
The median annual property tax in St. Joseph County is $1,959, which is 33% lower than the Michigan state average and 2% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.10% on a median home value of $178,300. Property taxes represent 2.9% of the median household income in this county.
St. Joseph County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
St. Joseph County's 1.10% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 28%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Michigan median
Homeowners in St. Joseph County pay a median annual property tax of $1,959, roughly in line with the national median and well below the Michigan state median. On a $178,300 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.10% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Michigan counties by effective rate
St. Joseph County ranks #41 of 83 counties in Michigan by effective rate (51% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in St. Joseph County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.9% of the $66,425 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in St. Joseph 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.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 8.8% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 65% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 38.4%, the median bill rose 26.2% to $1,959: the rate did comparatively little to offset the market.
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 26% from $1,552 to $1,959. 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 fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 4,496 of 17,980 owner-occupied homes (25.0%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Both the income and the rate here sit in the third quarter nationally, and the median bill is 2.9% of median household income. Two above-average figures pulling in opposite directions is why the rate on its own is a poor guide.
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 St. Joseph County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of St. Joseph County homeowners, 4,496 of 17,980 owner-occupied homes (25.0%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.4% (1,155)
- $800 to $1,499 25.0% (4,496)
- $1,500 to $1,999 17.0% (3,054)
- $2,000 to $2,999 22.5% (4,041)
- $3,000 or more 23.2% (4,168)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,066 homes here (5.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Michigan handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in St. Joseph County pay about the same bill, a 4% gap.
St. Joseph County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
St. Joseph County's effective rate is higher than 51% of the 83 counties in Michigan - ranking #41 of 83.
Where St. Joseph County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.10% more affordable than 28% 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 St. Joseph County moved from $1,552 in the 2020 release to $1,959 in 2024, a change of about 26%. 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.
St. Joseph County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | St. Joseph County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.9% | - | - |
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.
St. Joseph County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Michigan counties.
St. Joseph County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,959 +4.9% | 1.10% |
| 2023 | $1,867 +6.1% | 1.11% |
| 2022 | $1,759 +6.5% | 1.15% |
| 2021 | $1,651 +6.4% | 1.23% |
| 2020 | $1,552 | 1.20% |
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.
St. Joseph County: tax-to-income at 2.9%
Counties near St. Joseph County's effective rate
On effective rate, St. Joseph County sits nearest Worth County (IA), Sac County (IA), Mitchell County (IA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Siskiyou County (CA), Nemaha County (KS), Richland County (OH).
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
St. Joseph County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 740 of 28,440 returns from St. Joseph County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,168 - 32% 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 Michigan
St. Joseph County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in St. Joseph County, Michigan?
- The median annual property tax in St. Joseph County is $1,959, an effective rate of 1.10% on a $178,300 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for St. Joseph County?
- St. Joseph County, Michigan scores D (44/100) 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 A- (+$71). 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 St. Joseph County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in St. Joseph County run roughly in line with the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.10% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in St. Joseph County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for St. Joseph County jumped 26.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,552 to $1,959, 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 St. Joseph County?
- Property taxes in St. Joseph County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.9% of the $66,425 median household income.
What to do with St. Joseph County's PAR rate
Inside Michigan, St. Joseph County's $1,959 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Michigan overview →
St. Joseph County ranks #41 of 83 Michigan counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Michigan overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for St. Joseph County's PAR 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: 1.10%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,959/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with St. Joseph County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for St. Joseph County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Bosque County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with St. Joseph County at $1,959/yr; rate 0.98% vs St. Joseph County 1.10%.
Jasper County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with St. Joseph County at $1,959/yr; rate 0.80% vs St. Joseph County 1.10%.
Ransom County, ND
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with St. Joseph County at $1,959/yr; rate 1.02% vs St. Joseph County 1.10%.
Cass County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,958/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 2.02% vs St. Joseph County 1.10%.
Michigan county set
State ACS overview for every published Michigan county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
St. Joseph County stamps PAR · MID - 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 St. Joseph County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.