Oregon · County property tax · ACS 2024
Wasco County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Wasco County pays $2,828 a year, an effective rate of 0.77%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,828
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 0.77%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- +42%
- vs U.S. average
- #16 of 36
- rank in OR
The verdict
Homeowners in Wasco County pay a median $2,828 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.77%, more affordable than 53% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,828
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.77%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1476 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +42%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($367,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Oregon. Population: 26,552. Owner-occupied homes: 7,131.
The median annual property tax in Wasco County is $2,828, which is 27% lower than the Oregon state average and 42% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.77% on a median home value of $367,400. Property taxes represent 4.4% of the median household income in this county.
Wasco County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Wasco County's 0.77% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 53%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Wasco County pay a median annual property tax of $2,828, well above the national median and well below the Oregon state median. On a $367,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.77% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Wasco County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.4% of the $64,175 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Oregon counties by effective rate
Wasco County ranks #16 of 36 counties in Oregon by effective rate (56% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Wasco 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 Wasco County rose 59.2%, from $230,800 to $367,400. The effective rate fell 27.5% over the same span, a steeper move than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 15.3%, to $2,828. 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 $2,452 to $2,828, a gain of 15%. 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: 3,088 of 7,131 owner-occupied homes (43.3%) 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.
Both figures cluster near the middle of the national range, and the median bill comes to 4.4% of median household income. Counties like this are the reason a national average exists at all, and also the reason it explains so little.
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 Wasco County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Wasco County homeowners, 3,088 of 7,131 owner-occupied homes (43.3%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 7.0% (499)
- $800 to $1,499 8.5% (606)
- $1,500 to $1,999 13.7% (977)
- $2,000 to $2,999 21.5% (1,532)
- $3,000 or more 43.3% (3,088)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
429 homes here (6.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Oregon handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Wasco 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.
Wasco County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Wasco County's effective rate is higher than 56% of the 36 counties in Oregon - ranking #16 of 36.
Where Wasco County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.77% more affordable than 53% 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
Same rate as Oregon, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 5% of the Oregon median, yet the median bill runs 27% below it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to cheaper housing produces $2,828 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Wasco County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Wasco County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 4.4% | - | - |
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.
Wasco County is UNDER · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Oregon counties.
Wasco County rate trail · UNDER
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,828 +1.6% | 0.77% |
| 2023 | $2,784 +0.8% | 0.84% |
| 2022 | $2,763 +6.1% | 0.93% |
| 2021 | $2,605 +6.2% | 1.03% |
| 2020 | $2,452 | 1.06% |
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.
Wasco County: tax takes 4.4% of income
Counties near Wasco County's effective rate
On effective rate, Wasco County sits nearest Columbus County (NC), Anson County (NC), Nodaway County (MO).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Hampton city (VA), Vermillion County (IN), Allegany County (NY).
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
Wasco County: only 7% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 870 of 11,940 returns from Wasco County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,511 - 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 Oregon
Wasco County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Wasco County?
- Wasco County, Oregon scores F (31/100) 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 (+$265). 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 Wasco County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Wasco County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.77% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Wasco County, Oregon?
- The median annual property tax in Wasco County is $2,828, an effective rate of 0.77% on a $367,400 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Wasco County?
- Property taxes in Wasco County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.4% of the $64,175 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Wasco County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Wasco County climbed 15.3% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,452 to $2,828, 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 to do with Wasco County's UNDER rate
Wasco County's $2,828 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Wasco County ranks #16 of 36 Oregon counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Oregon overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Wasco County's UNDER 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: 0.77%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,828/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Wasco County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Wasco County (UNDER · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER MID
Lincoln County, ME
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Wasco County at $2,828/yr; rate 0.85% vs Wasco County 0.77%.
Erie County, PA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,830/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.60% vs Wasco County 0.77%.
Monroe County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,826/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.35% vs Wasco County 0.77%.
Bremer County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,824/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.29% vs Wasco County 0.77%.
Oregon county set
State ACS overview for every published Oregon county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Wasco County stamps UNDER · 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 Wasco County (UNDER · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.