South Dakota · County property tax · ACS 2024
Union County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Union County pays $3,317 a year, an effective rate of 1.10%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,317
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.10%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +66%
- vs U.S. average
- #25 of 66
- rank in SD
The verdict
Homeowners in Union County pay a median $3,317 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.10%, more affordable than 28% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,317
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.10%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2246 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +66%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($301,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Union County, SD
32/100
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.
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Union County
Median home value relative to Union County's median income
Union County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Median tax as a share of Union County's median household income
Union County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Read the chart values
- Mortgage premium: 80/100 (A-) · +$80
- Housing pressure: 35/100 (F) · 3.36×
- Rate relief: 29/100 (F) · 1.10%
- Income room: 20/100 (F) · 3.7%
- Bill size: 13/100 (F) · $3,317/yr
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Dakota. Population: 17,081. Owner-occupied homes: 5,343.
The median annual property tax in Union County is $3,317, which is 22% higher than the South Dakota state average and 66% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.10% on a median home value of $301,100. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Union County
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Union County pay a median annual property tax of $3,317, far above the national median and notably higher than the South Dakota state median. On a $301,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.10% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Union County's 1.10% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 28%).
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of South Dakota counties by effective rate
Union County ranks #25 of 66 counties in South Dakota by effective rate (62% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
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 3.7% of the $89,636 median household income.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Union 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.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 12.1% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 50% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 46.0%, the median bill rose 28.3% to $3,317: 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 28% from $2,586 to $3,317. 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: 2,917 of 5,343 owner-occupied homes (54.6%) 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.
Earnings are in the national top quarter and the rate is above the midpoint, so the median bill represents 3.7% of median household income. A headline bill conflates the dollar figure with the proportion; the two come apart here, and the ratio above is the second of them.
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 Union County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Union County homeowners, 2,917 of 5,343 owner-occupied homes (54.6%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 5.5% (294)
- $800 to $1,499 12.1% (648)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.0% (590)
- $2,000 to $2,999 16.0% (856)
- $3,000 or more 54.6% (2,917)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Union County pay about the same bill, a 2% gap.
How Union County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Union County's effective rate is higher than 62% of the 66 counties in South Dakota - ranking #25 of 66 for property tax burden.
Where Union 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 Union County moved from $2,586 in the 2020 release to $3,317 in 2024, a change of about 28%. 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.
Union County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Union County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.7% | - | - |
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.
Think your Union County HEAVY bill is out of line at PAR?
On Union County's published figures (PAR · HEAVY), a $301,100 median home carries a $3,317 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $332 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 South Dakota.
Property Tax History · PAR · HEAVY
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,317 +10.7% | 1.10% |
| 2023 | $2,997 +4.1% | 1.11% |
| 2022 | $2,880 +6.1% | 1.13% |
| 2021 | $2,715 +5.0% | 1.23% |
| 2020 | $2,586 | 1.25% |
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 notably higher than the national average of 0.92% puts Union County in the "Moderate" 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 Union County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Union County sits nearest Northumberland County (PA), Franklin County (PA), Mercer County (OH).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Ohio County (KY), Stearns County (MN), Mason 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 Union County
Of the 8,070 federal returns filed from Union County in 2022, 620 (7.7% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $11,271 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $200k+, who accounted for 58% 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 South Dakota
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Union County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Union County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Union County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Union County, South Dakota? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Union County? ▼
What to do with Union County's numbers
- Union County's $3,317 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
- Union County ranks #25 of 66 South Dakota counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. South Dakota overview →
- If Union County's assessment looks high versus the $301,100 typical home, check South Dakota'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 ($301,100); 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 Union County, both outside South Dakota 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: 1.10%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,317/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 (PAR · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR HEAVY
Calaveras County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,319/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.73% vs Union County 1.10%.
Douglas County, WA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,319/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.77% vs Union County 1.10%.
Madison County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,319/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.92% vs Union County 1.10%.
Ottawa County, MI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,313/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.02% vs Union County 1.10%.
South Dakota county set
State ACS overview for every published South Dakota county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Union County stamps PAR · HEAVY - 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.
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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 Union County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.