Minnesota · County property tax · ACS 2024
Watonwan County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Watonwan County pays $1,700 a year, an effective rate of 1.05%, notably lower than the U.S. average.
- $1,700
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.05%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -15%
- vs U.S. average
- #23 of 87
- rank in MN
The verdict
Homeowners in Watonwan County pay a median $1,700 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.05%, more affordable than 32% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,700
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.05%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2145 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -15%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($162,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Minnesota. Population: 11,205. Owner-occupied homes: 3,290.
The median annual property tax in Watonwan County is $1,700, which is 49% lower than the Minnesota state average and 15% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.05% on a median home value of $162,400. Property taxes represent 2.4% of the median household income in this county.
Watonwan County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Watonwan County's 1.05% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 32%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Minnesota median
Homeowners in Watonwan County pay a median annual property tax of $1,700, notably lower than the national median and well below the Minnesota state median. On a $162,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.05% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Minnesota counties by effective rate
Watonwan County ranks #23 of 87 counties in Minnesota by effective rate (74% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Watonwan County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $71,699 median household income.
Decision signal 5
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has climbed 9.2%, from $1,557 to $1,700. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Watonwan 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.
How to read this county's bill
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 59% from $1,072 to $1,700. These ACS medians describe the reported change; they do not identify whether a levy, assessment, home value, or change in the responding households caused it.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 840 of 3,290 owner-occupied homes (25.5%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Both the income and the rate here sit in the third quarter nationally, and the median bill is 2.4% of median household income. Two above-average figures pulling in opposite directions is why the rate on its own is a poor guide.
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 Watonwan County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Watonwan County homeowners, 840 of 3,290 owner-occupied homes (25.5%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 17.4% (573)
- $800 to $1,499 25.5% (840)
- $1,500 to $1,999 13.3% (438)
- $2,000 to $2,999 17.5% (575)
- $3,000 or more 22.8% (751)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
113 homes here (3.4%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Minnesota handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Watonwan County pay a substantially higher bill, 38% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
Watonwan County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Watonwan County's effective rate is higher than 74% of the 87 counties in Minnesota - ranking #23 of 87.
Where Watonwan County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.05% more affordable than 32% 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
What changed since 2020
The median bill in Watonwan County moved from $1,072 in the 2020 release to $1,700 in 2024, a change of about 59%. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates compared across releases that share only one sample year, which is why this page never compares consecutive releases: those overlap in four years of the same households and move mostly on sampling.
Watonwan County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Watonwan County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.4% | - | - |
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.
Watonwan County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Minnesota counties.
Watonwan County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,700 +9.2% | 1.05% |
| 2023 | $1,557 +15.5% | 1.03% |
| 2022 | $1,348 +8.5% | 1.13% |
| 2021 | $1,242 +15.9% | 1.17% |
| 2020 | $1,072 | 1.09% |
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.
Watonwan County: tax-to-income at 2.4%
Counties near Watonwan County's effective rate
On effective rate, Watonwan County sits nearest Barry County (MI), Kearny County (KS), Wilkes County (GA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Haskell County (TX), Terry County (TX), Hendry County (FL).
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
Watonwan County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 130 of 5,170 returns from Watonwan County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,808 - 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 Minnesota
Watonwan County rate FAQs
- How does Watonwan County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Watonwan County run notably lower than the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.05% versus 0.92% nationally.
- Are property taxes increasing in Watonwan County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Watonwan County is recorded at $1,700 in the 2024 5-year release against $1,072 in 2020. That is a large swing, and it should be read as movement in a survey estimate rather than as a tax change: the median here rests on about 3,290 owner-occupied homes, and swings above 50% are roughly twelve times more common in the smallest counties than in the largest. Treat the two figures as imprecise and check the county assessor for actual rate changes.
- What is the average property tax in Watonwan County, Minnesota?
- The median annual property tax in Watonwan County is $1,700, an effective rate of 1.05% on a $162,400 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Watonwan County?
- Watonwan County, Minnesota scores D (44/100) 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 housing pressure at B+ (2.27×). 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 Watonwan County?
- Property taxes in Watonwan County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.4% of the $71,699 median household income.
What to do with Watonwan County's PAR rate
Inside Minnesota, Watonwan County's $1,700 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Minnesota overview →
Watonwan County ranks #23 of 87 Minnesota counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Minnesota overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Watonwan County's PAR 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: 1.05%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,700/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Watonwan County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Watonwan County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Clark County, KS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,699/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.94% vs Watonwan County 1.05%.
Elmore County, ID
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,701/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.54% vs Watonwan County 1.05%.
O'Brien County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,701/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.98% vs Watonwan County 1.05%.
Anderson County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,702/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.92% vs Watonwan County 1.05%.
Minnesota county set
State ACS overview for every published Minnesota county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Watonwan County stamps PAR · 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 Watonwan County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.