Wisconsin · County property tax · ACS 2024
Washington County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Washington County pays $3,802 a year, an effective rate of 1.10%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,802
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 1.10%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- +91%
- vs U.S. average
- #62 of 72
- rank in WI
The verdict
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median $3,802 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.10%, more affordable than 28% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,802
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.10%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2246 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +91%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($344,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Wisconsin. Population: 137,879. Owner-occupied homes: 44,552.
The median annual property tax in Washington County is $3,802, which is 0% higher than the Wisconsin state average and 91% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.10% on a median home value of $344,800. Property taxes represent 3.9% of the median household income in this county.
Why Washington County's ACS bill runs high vs the U.S.
Primary signal
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Washington County pay a median annual property tax of $3,802, far above the national median and roughly in line with the Wisconsin state median. On a $344,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.10% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
High among Wisconsin counties by effective rate
Washington County ranks #62 of 72 counties in Wisconsin by effective rate (14% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Washington County's 1.10% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 28%).
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 3.9% of the $96,359 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 gave way faster than almost anywhere
Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Washington County rose 39.0%, from $248,000 to $344,800. The effective rate fell 22.3% over the same span, a steeper move than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 8.0%, to $3,802. 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 $3,520 to $3,802, a change of 8%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 31,566 of 44,552 owner-occupied homes (70.9%) 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.
Earnings are in the national top quarter and the rate is above the midpoint, so the median bill represents 3.9% of median household income. A headline bill conflates the dollar figure with the proportion; the two come apart here, and the ratio above is the second of them.
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, 31,566 of 44,552 owner-occupied homes (70.9%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 1.8% (786)
- $800 to $1,499 3.4% (1,509)
- $1,500 to $1,999 3.9% (1,731)
- $2,000 to $2,999 18.6% (8,284)
- $3,000 or more 70.9% (31,566)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
676 homes here (1.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Wisconsin handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Washington County pay about the same bill, a 7% gap.
Washington County's bill vs state & U.S. medians
Median annual bill bars around Washington County's HEAVY ACS 2024 figure.
Washington County's median bill is 0% above the Wisconsin median and 91% above the U.S. median.
Same bill as Wisconsin, a lower rate
The median bill lands within 0% of the Wisconsin median while the effective rate runs 23% below it. The two offset each other: a gentler rate applied to more valuable housing arrives at roughly the state's own $3,802. A rate ranking would place this county far from the middle; the bill does not.
Washington County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Washington County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Highest-decile bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 3.9% | - | - |
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.
Is Washington County's $3,802 median bill appeal-worthy?
At Washington County's $3,802 ACS median (HEAVY), a 10% assessment cut is worth about $380/yr before exemptions. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Wisconsin.
Washington County bill trail · HEAVY
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,802 +0.2% | 1.10% |
| 2023 | $3,795 +0.6% | 1.20% |
| 2022 | $3,771 +5.7% | 1.29% |
| 2021 | $3,566 +1.3% | 1.38% |
| 2020 | $3,520 | 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 3.9%
Counties near Washington County's median bill
On effective rate, Washington County sits nearest Morris County (TX), Kendall County (TX), Cochran County (TX).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Bennett County (SD), Tyler County (WV), Monroe County (PA).
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 7% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 4,850 of 72,700 returns from Washington County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,741 - 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 Wisconsin
Washington County bill FAQs
- How does Washington County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Washington County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.10% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Washington County, Wisconsin?
- The median annual property tax in Washington County is $3,802, an effective rate of 1.10% on a $344,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Washington County?
- Washington County, Wisconsin scores F (26/100) 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 (+$253). 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 within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 3.9% of the $96,359 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Washington County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Washington County climbed 8.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $3,520 to $3,802, 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 HEAVY bill
Washington County's $3,802 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 #62 of 72 Wisconsin counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Wisconsin overview →
Nationwide peers by median bill (then rate)
Bill-first peers for Washington County's HEAVY median, then a disjoint out-of-state rate set, not the same-state geography lattice.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.10%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,802/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 (PAR · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR HEAVY
Deschutes County, OR
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,807/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 0.58% vs Washington County 1.10%.
York County, ME
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,787/yr (near-tied bill ABS $15); rate 0.96% vs Washington County 1.10%.
Jefferson County, WA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,818/yr (near-tied bill ABS $16); rate 0.71% vs Washington County 1.10%.
Knox County, ME
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,786/yr (near-tied bill ABS $16); rate 1.17% vs Washington County 1.10%.
Wisconsin county set
State ACS overview for every published Wisconsin county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Washington County stamps PAR · HEAVY - 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 (PAR · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.