Kentucky · County property tax · ACS 2024
Washington County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Washington County pays $1,174 a year, an effective rate of 0.66%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,174
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.66%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- -41%
- vs U.S. average
- #75 of 120
- rank in KY
The verdict
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median $1,174 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.66%, more affordable than 64% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,174
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.66%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1116 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -41%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($179,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Kentucky. Population: 12,140. Owner-occupied homes: 3,767.
The median annual property tax in Washington County is $1,174, which is 24% lower than the Kentucky state average and 41% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.66% on a median home value of $179,200. Property taxes represent 1.9% 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 0.66% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 64%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median annual property tax of $1,174, well below the national median and notably lower than the Kentucky state median. On a $179,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.66% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Washington County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $61,616 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Near the middle of Kentucky counties by effective rate
Washington County ranks #75 of 120 counties in Kentucky by effective rate (38% 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Washington County's effective rate fell 14.3% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 45.0%, leaving the median bill 24.2% higher at $1,174. 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 $945 to $1,174, 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 largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 1,212 of 3,767 owner-occupied homes (32.2%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
Both figures cluster near the middle of the national range, and the median bill comes to 1.9% 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 Washington County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Washington County homeowners, 1,212 of 3,767 owner-occupied homes (32.2%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 32.2% (1,212)
- $800 to $1,499 24.2% (913)
- $1,500 to $1,999 18.3% (688)
- $2,000 to $2,999 10.1% (381)
- $3,000 or more 9.3% (351)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
222 homes here (5.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Kentucky handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Washington County pay about the same bill, a 8% gap.
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 38% of the 120 counties in Kentucky - ranking #75 of 120.
Where Washington County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.66% Among the most affordable more affordable than 64% 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
Washington County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Washington County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 1.9% | - | - |
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 · Kentucky counties.
Washington County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,174 -2.6% | 0.66% |
| 2023 | $1,205 +4.2% | 0.72% |
| 2022 | $1,156 +11.4% | 0.73% |
| 2021 | $1,038 +9.8% | 0.77% |
| 2020 | $945 | 0.76% |
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 1.9% of income
Counties near Washington County's effective rate
On effective rate, Washington County sits nearest Shelby County (IN), Owen County (IN), Marshall County (IN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Swisher County (TX), Osage County (MO), Nueces 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
Washington County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 140 of 5,690 returns from Washington County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,129 - 36% 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 Kentucky
Washington County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Washington County, Kentucky?
- The median annual property tax in Washington County is $1,174, an effective rate of 0.66% on a $179,200 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Washington County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Washington County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.66% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Washington County?
- Washington County, Kentucky scores B- (68/100) 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 B+ (+$90). 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Washington County?
- Property taxes in Washington County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $61,616 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Washington County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Washington County jumped 24.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $945 to $1,174, 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 $1,174 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 1.9% of Washington County's $61,616 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: 0.66%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,174/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
Lawrence County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $1,174/yr; rate 1.18% vs Washington County 0.66%.
Morgan County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Washington County at $1,174/yr; rate 0.49% vs Washington County 0.66%.
Fremont County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,175/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.36% vs Washington County 0.66%.
Monroe County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,176/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.82% vs Washington County 0.66%.
Kentucky county set
State ACS overview for every published Kentucky 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.