Michigan · County property tax · ACS 2024
Van Buren County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Van Buren County pays $2,536 a year, an effective rate of 1.23%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,536
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.23%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +27%
- vs U.S. average
- #23 of 83
- rank in MI
The verdict
Homeowners in Van Buren County pay a median $2,536 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.23%, more affordable than 22% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,536
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.23%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2446 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +27%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($206,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Michigan. Population: 75,795. Owner-occupied homes: 24,671.
The median annual property tax in Van Buren County is $2,536, which is 13% lower than the Michigan state average and 27% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.23% on a median home value of $206,500. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.
Van Buren County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Van Buren County's 1.23% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 22%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Van Buren County pay a median annual property tax of $2,536, well above the national median and notably lower than the Michigan state median. On a $206,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.23% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Michigan counties by effective rate
Van Buren County ranks #23 of 83 counties in Michigan by effective rate (72% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Van Buren County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $68,114 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Van Buren 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Van Buren County's effective rate fell 14.4% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 40.1%, leaving the median bill 20.0% higher at $2,536. That rate move is larger than the one in 61% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
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 $2,114 to $2,536, a gain of 20%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 8,784 of 24,671 owner-occupied homes (35.6%) 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.
The rate is in the national top quarter while earnings are only moderately above the midpoint, so the median bill claims 3.7% of median household income. A high rate is affordable only relative to something, and this is what it is relative to 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.
What Van Buren County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Van Buren County homeowners, 8,784 of 24,671 owner-occupied homes (35.6%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 5.6% (1,377)
- $800 to $1,499 16.0% (3,948)
- $1,500 to $1,999 12.2% (3,019)
- $2,000 to $2,999 24.9% (6,132)
- $3,000 or more 35.6% (8,784)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
1,411 homes here (5.7%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Michigan handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Van Buren County, mortgaged homeowners pay 10% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Van Buren County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Van Buren County's effective rate is higher than 72% of the 83 counties in Michigan - ranking #23 of 83.
Where Van Buren County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.23% more affordable than 22% 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
Van Buren County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Van Buren County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High 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.
Van Buren County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Michigan counties.
Van Buren County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,536 +3.8% | 1.23% |
| 2023 | $2,444 +2.9% | 1.29% |
| 2022 | $2,376 +8.7% | 1.38% |
| 2021 | $2,185 +3.4% | 1.41% |
| 2020 | $2,114 | 1.43% |
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.
Van Buren County: tax-to-income at 3.7%
Counties near Van Buren County's effective rate
On effective rate, Van Buren County sits nearest Marshall County (KS), Jackson County (IA), Dubuque County (IA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Kenai Peninsula Borough (AK), Montgomery County (VA), Medina 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
Van Buren County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 1,240 of 36,440 returns from Van Buren County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,255 - 34% 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
Van Buren County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Van Buren County?
- Van Buren County, Michigan scores F (30/100) 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 C (+$243). 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 Van Buren County, Michigan?
- The median annual property tax in Van Buren County is $2,536, an effective rate of 1.23% on a $206,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Van Buren County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Van Buren County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.23% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Van Buren County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Van Buren County climbed 20.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,114 to $2,536, 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 Van Buren County?
- Property taxes in Van Buren County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $68,114 median household income.
What to do with Van Buren County's PAR rate
Van Buren County's $2,536 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Van Buren County ranks #23 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 Van Buren 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: 1.23%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,536/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Van Buren County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Van Buren County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Plumas County, CA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,537/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.70% vs Van Buren County 1.23%.
Ector County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,538/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.27% vs Van Buren County 1.23%.
Tom Green County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,532/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.29% vs Van Buren County 1.23%.
Chatham County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,541/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 0.84% vs Van Buren County 1.23%.
Michigan county set
State ACS overview for every published Michigan county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Van Buren 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 Van Buren County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.