Illinois · County property tax · ACS 2024
Winnebago County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Winnebago County pays $3,930 a year, an effective rate of 2.39%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,930
- Median tax / yr · Highest-decile bill
- 2.39%
- Effective rate · Highest-decile rate
- +97%
- vs U.S. average
- #4 of 102
- rank in IL
The verdict
Homeowners in Winnebago County pay a median $3,930 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 2.39%, more affordable than 1% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,930
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 2.39%
- Effective rate on median home
- #3113 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +97%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($164,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Illinois. Population: 283,292. Owner-occupied homes: 76,408.
The median annual property tax in Winnebago County is $3,930, which is 26% lower than the Illinois state average and 97% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 2.39% on a median home value of $164,500. Property taxes represent 6.0% of the median household income in this county.
Winnebago County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Winnebago County's 2.39% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 99% pay more.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Winnebago County pay a median annual property tax of $3,930, far above the national median and well below the Illinois state median. On a $164,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 2.39% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a heavy tax share
Property taxes in Winnebago County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 6.0% of the $65,837 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Low among Illinois counties by effective rate
Winnebago County ranks #4 of 102 counties in Illinois by effective rate (96% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Winnebago 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
Winnebago County's effective rate fell 17.2% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 35.5%, leaving the median bill 12.2% higher at $3,930. That rate move is larger than the one in 73% 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 $3,503 to $3,930, a gain of 12%. 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: 47,959 of 76,408 owner-occupied homes (62.8%) 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 6.0% 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 Winnebago County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Winnebago County homeowners, 47,959 of 76,408 owner-occupied homes (62.8%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.5% (4,940)
- $800 to $1,499 7.4% (5,655)
- $1,500 to $1,999 6.7% (5,110)
- $2,000 to $2,999 13.8% (10,511)
- $3,000 or more 62.8% (47,959)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
2,233 homes here (2.9%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Illinois handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Winnebago County, mortgaged homeowners pay 17% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Winnebago County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Winnebago County's effective rate is higher than 96% of the 102 counties in Illinois - ranking #4 of 102.
Where Winnebago County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
2.39% more affordable than 1% 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
A high rate, a smaller bill
Winnebago County taxes property at 2.39%, about 19% above the Illinois average, yet its median bill of $3,930 lands roughly 26% below it. The effective rate is the bill divided by the home's value, so a county can only sit on opposite sides of the state average this way when its homes are worth materially less than the state norm. The rate is the policy; the bill is what the housing market does with it.
Winnebago County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Winnebago County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Highest-decile bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Highest-decile rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 6.0% | - | - |
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.
Winnebago County's PEAK · HEAVY lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Winnebago County's published figures (PEAK · HEAVY), a $164,500 median home carries a $3,930 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $393 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Illinois.
Winnebago County rate trail · PEAK
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,930 +2.1% | 2.39% |
| 2023 | $3,850 +1.0% | 2.48% |
| 2022 | $3,812 +6.3% | 2.60% |
| 2021 | $3,585 +2.3% | 2.85% |
| 2020 | $3,503 | 2.89% |
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.
Winnebago County: tax takes 6.0% of income
Counties near Winnebago County's effective rate
On effective rate, Winnebago County sits nearest Oswego County (NY), Genesee County (NY), Schenectady County (NY).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Yuma County (CO), Wilson County (KS), Buchanan County (IA).
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
Winnebago County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 4,740 of 135,630 returns from Winnebago County reported real estate taxes, averaging $6,763 - 32% 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 Illinois
Winnebago County rate FAQs
- How does Winnebago County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Winnebago County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 2.39% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Winnebago County, Illinois?
- The median annual property tax in Winnebago County is $3,930, an effective rate of 2.39% on a $164,500 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Winnebago County?
- Winnebago County, Illinois scores F (12/100) 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 (2.50×). 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 Winnebago County?
- Property taxes in Winnebago County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 6.0% of the $65,837 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Winnebago County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Winnebago County climbed 12.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $3,503 to $3,930, 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 Winnebago County's PEAK rate
Winnebago County's $3,930 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Income burden is elevated here: about 6.0% of Winnebago County's $65,837 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Winnebago County's PEAK 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: 2.39%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,930/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Winnebago County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Winnebago County (PEAK · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PEAK HEAVY
Wilson County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,928/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.22% vs Winnebago County 2.39%.
Gallatin County, MT
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,933/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 0.59% vs Winnebago County 2.39%.
Carroll County, MD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,934/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 0.91% vs Winnebago County 2.39%.
Menominee County, WI
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,926/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 3.56% vs Winnebago County 2.39%.
Illinois county set
State ACS overview for every published Illinois county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Winnebago County stamps PEAK · HEAVY - 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 Winnebago County (PEAK · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.