Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Washington County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Washington County pays $2,788 a year, an effective rate of 1.37%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,788
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.37%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +40%
- vs U.S. average
- #37 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median $2,788 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.37%, more affordable than 16% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,788
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.37%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2647 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +40%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($203,900). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 22,561. Owner-occupied homes: 6,641.
The median annual property tax in Washington County is $2,788, which is 4% lower than the Iowa state average and 40% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.37% on a median home value of $203,900. Property taxes represent 3.7% of the median household income in this county.
Washington County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Washington County's 1.37% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 16%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median annual property tax of $2,788, well above the national median and modestly below the Iowa state median. On a $203,900 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.37% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Iowa counties by effective rate
Washington County ranks #37 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (63% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Washington County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $75,647 median household income.
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 held while the market moved
Washington County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 3.6% down, against a median home value that rose 28.6%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 23.9%, from $2,250 to $2,788.
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 $2,250 to $2,788, a gain of 24%. 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: 2,868 of 6,641 owner-occupied homes (43.2%) 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 Washington County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Washington County homeowners, 2,868 of 6,641 owner-occupied homes (43.2%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 5.7% (381)
- $800 to $1,499 14.1% (939)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.6% (635)
- $2,000 to $2,999 23.9% (1,586)
- $3,000 or more 43.2% (2,868)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
232 homes here (3.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Washington County, mortgaged homeowners actually pay 12% less than those without a mortgage, a mild inversion from the national norm worth cross-checking against the historical table above.
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 63% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #37 of 99.
Where Washington County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.37% more affordable than 16% 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
Close to the Iowa median on both measures
Rate and bill both land within 10% of the Iowa medians here, which makes Washington County a reasonable stand-in for the state when comparing against counties elsewhere. It also means the county-level figure adds little beyond the state figure for this particular comparison; the $2,788 median bill and the state median tell substantially the same story.
Washington County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Washington County | Iowa 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.
Washington County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Washington County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $203,900 median home carries a $2,788 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $279 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.
Washington County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,788 +3.7% | 1.37% |
| 2023 | $2,688 +6.4% | 1.35% |
| 2022 | $2,527 +8.8% | 1.39% |
| 2021 | $2,322 +3.2% | 1.46% |
| 2020 | $2,250 | 1.42% |
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-to-income at 3.7%
Counties near Washington County's effective rate
On effective rate, Washington County sits nearest Anderson County (KS), Chase County (KS), McPherson County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Lawrence County (KY), Washtenaw County (MI), Crittenden County (KY).
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 5% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 540 of 10,470 returns from Washington County reported real estate taxes, averaging $4,261 - 31% of those reporters sat in the $100-200k AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Iowa
Washington County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Washington County?
- Washington County, Iowa scores F (35/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-368). 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, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Washington County is $2,788, an effective rate of 1.37% on a $203,900 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Washington County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Washington County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.37% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Washington County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Washington County jumped 23.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,250 to $2,788, 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 Washington County?
- Property taxes in Washington County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.7% of the $75,647 median household income.
What to do with Washington County's STEEP rate
Washington County's $2,788 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Washington County ranks #37 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 Washington County's STEEP 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: 1.37%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,788/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 (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Lincoln County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $2,788/yr; rate 1.47% vs Washington County 1.37%.
Flagler County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,789/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.76% vs Washington County 1.37%.
Charlotte County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,785/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.85% vs Washington County 1.37%.
Wabasha County, MN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,785/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.05% vs Washington County 1.37%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Washington County stamps STEEP · 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 Washington County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.