Colorado · County property tax · ACS 2024
Washington County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Washington County pays $874 a year, an effective rate of 0.39%, far below the U.S. average.
- $874
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.39%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -56%
- vs U.S. average
- #33 of 64
- rank in CO
The verdict
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median $874 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.39%, more affordable than 94% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $874
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.39%
- Effective rate on median home
- #199 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -56%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($226,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Colorado. Population: 4,831. Owner-occupied homes: 1,524.
The median annual property tax in Washington County is $874, which is 66% lower than the Colorado state average and 56% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.39% on a median home value of $226,200. Property taxes represent 1.3% of the median household income in this county.
Washington County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Washington County's 0.39% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 94% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median annual property tax of $874, far below the national median and far below the Colorado state median. On a $226,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.39% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Washington County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.3% of the $67,167 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Colorado counties by effective rate
Washington County ranks #33 of 64 counties in Colorado by effective rate (48% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Washington 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 Washington County rose 39.5%, from $162,200 to $226,200. The effective rate fell 23.4% over the same span, a steeper move than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 6.8%, to $874. 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
Very little moved here between 2020 and 2024: the typical bill went from $818 to $874, a change of 7%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 668 of 1,524 owner-occupied homes (43.8%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
Incomes run above the national midpoint and the rate is in the lowest quarter, leaving the median bill at 1.3% of median household income. Both figures move in the same direction here, so the ratio above is not pulled in two directions the way it is in most counties.
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 Washington County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Washington County homeowners, 668 of 1,524 owner-occupied homes (43.8%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 43.8% (668)
- $800 to $1,499 33.6% (512)
- $1,500 to $1,999 6.0% (91)
- $2,000 to $2,999 7.8% (119)
- $3,000 or more 5.2% (79)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
55 homes here (3.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Colorado handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Washington County, mortgaged homeowners pay 16% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Washington County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Washington County's effective rate is higher than 48% of the 64 counties in Colorado - ranking #33 of 64.
Where Washington County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.39% Among the most affordable more affordable than 94% 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
Among the lowest-taxed counties in the country
At 0.39%, Washington County sits in the lowest 6% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. A low rate does not by itself mean a low bill: the median here is $874, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Washington County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Washington County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Very light income burden | 1.3% | - | - |
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.
Washington County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Colorado counties.
Washington County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $874 -1.8% | 0.39% |
| 2023 | $890 -3.7% | 0.41% |
| 2022 | $924 +3.5% | 0.44% |
| 2021 | $893 +9.2% | 0.52% |
| 2020 | $818 | 0.50% |
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.
Washington County: tax takes only 1.3% of income
Counties near Washington County's effective rate
On effective rate, Washington County sits nearest Lowndes County (AL), Etowah County (AL), Escambia County (AL).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Pepin County (WI), Carter County (MT), Reynolds County (MO).
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
Washington County: only 1% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 30 of 2,050 returns from Washington County reported real estate taxes, averaging $1,200 - 100% of those reporters sat in the $75-100k 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 Colorado
Washington County rate FAQs
- How does Washington County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Washington County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.39% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Washington County?
- Washington County, Colorado scores A- (83/100) 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 rate relief at A+ (0.39%). 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 Washington County, Colorado?
- The median annual property tax in Washington County is $874, an effective rate of 0.39% on a $226,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Washington County?
- Property taxes in Washington County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.3% of the $67,167 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Washington County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Washington County ticked up 6.8% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $818 to $874, 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 Washington County's QUIET rate
Washington County's $874 median bill sits well below the U.S. median - still size a parcel estimate; local millage and exemptions move the real bill. Estimate your bill →
Income burden is light here: about 1.3% of Washington County's $67,167 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Washington County's QUIET 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: 0.39%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $874/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Washington County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Washington County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Macon County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $874/yr; rate 0.39% vs Washington County 0.39%.
Blackford County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $873/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.81% vs Washington County 0.39%.
Edgefield County, SC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $875/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.43% vs Washington County 0.39%.
La Paz County, AZ
ABS(median_tax) peer · $873/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.64% vs Washington County 0.39%.
Colorado county set
State ACS overview for every published Colorado county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Washington County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - 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 Washington County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.