Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Union County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Union County pays $2,197 a year, an effective rate of 1.80%, notably higher than the U.S. average.
- $2,197
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.80%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +10%
- vs U.S. average
- #1 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Union County pay a median $2,197 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.80%, more affordable than 5% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,197
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.80%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2988 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +10%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($122,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 11,993. Owner-occupied homes: 3,690.
The median annual property tax in Union County is $2,197, which is 24% lower than the Iowa state average and 10% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.80% on a median home value of $122,000. Property taxes represent 3.8% of the median household income in this county.
Union County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Union County's 1.80% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 95% pay more.
Decision signal 2
Low among Iowa counties by effective rate
Union County ranks #1 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (99% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The bill sits below the Iowa median
Homeowners in Union County pay a median annual property tax of $2,197, notably higher than the national median and notably lower than the Iowa state median. On a $122,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.80% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Union County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.8% of the $57,772 median household income.
Decision signal 5
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has ticked up 4.2%, from $2,108 to $2,197. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Union 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.
How to read this county's bill
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 26% from $1,741 to $2,197. 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: 1,181 of 3,690 owner-occupied homes (32.0%) 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.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 3.8% 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.
Union County is an outlier inside Iowa
Across the 99 Iowa counties with a published rate, the average effective rate is 1.31%. Union County is at 1.80%, which sits 2.8 standard deviations above that average. Fewer than one county in twenty nationally is this far from its own state's centre, so a state-level average is a poor guide to what is owed here.
Standard deviations are computed across every county in the state with a published effective rate for 2024; states with fewer than five such counties are not assessed.
What Union County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Union County homeowners, 1,181 of 3,690 owner-occupied homes (32.0%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 17.5% (644)
- $800 to $1,499 17.2% (636)
- $1,500 to $1,999 10.3% (379)
- $2,000 to $2,999 21.4% (789)
- $3,000 or more 32.0% (1,181)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
61 homes here (1.7%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Union 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.
Union County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Union County's effective rate is higher than 99% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #1 of 99.
Where Union County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.80% more affordable than 5% 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
Union County taxes property at 1.80%, about 29% above the Iowa average, yet its median bill of $2,197 lands roughly 24% 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.
Union County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Union County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.8% | - | - |
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.
Union County's PEAK · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Union County's published figures (PEAK · MID), a $122,000 median home carries a $2,197 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $220 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.
Union County rate trail · PEAK
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,197 +4.2% | 1.80% |
| 2023 | $2,108 +13.2% | 1.79% |
| 2022 | $1,863 +2.9% | 1.64% |
| 2021 | $1,811 +4.0% | 1.66% |
| 2020 | $1,741 | 1.59% |
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.
Union County: tax-to-income at 3.8%
Counties near Union County's effective rate
On effective rate, Union County sits nearest Moultrie County (IL), Phillips County (KS), Webb County (TX).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Grainger County (TN), Koochiching County (MN), Pitt County (NC).
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
Union County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 180 of 5,390 returns from Union County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,256 - 28% of those reporters sat in the $50-75k 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 Iowa
Union County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Union County?
- Union County, Iowa scores F (28/100) 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 housing pressure at A- (2.11×). 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 Union County, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Union County is $2,197, an effective rate of 1.80% on a $122,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Union County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Union County run notably higher than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.80% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Union County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Union County is recorded at $2,197 in the 2024 5-year release against $1,741 in 2020. That is a large swing, and it should be read as movement in a survey estimate rather than as a tax change: the median here rests on about 3,690 owner-occupied homes, and swings above 50% are roughly twelve times more common in the smallest counties than in the largest. Treat the two figures as imprecise and check the county assessor for actual rate changes.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Union County?
- Property taxes in Union County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.8% of the $57,772 median household income.
What to do with Union County's PEAK rate
Inside Iowa, Union County's $2,197 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Iowa overview →
Union County ranks #1 of 99 Iowa counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Iowa overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Union County's PEAK 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: 1.80%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,197/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Union County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Union County (PEAK · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PEAK MID
Vilas County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Union County at $2,197/yr; rate 0.73% vs Union County 1.80%.
Guthrie County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,199/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.22% vs Union County 1.80%.
Garfield County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,201/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 0.42% vs Union County 1.80%.
Lapeer County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,202/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 0.92% vs Union County 1.80%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Union County stamps PEAK · MID - 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 Union County (PEAK · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.