Iowa · County property tax · ACS 2024
Wright County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Wright County pays $1,806 a year, an effective rate of 1.51%, modestly below the U.S. average.
- $1,806
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.51%
- Effective rate · High rate
- -9%
- vs U.S. average
- #13 of 99
- rank in IA
The verdict
Homeowners in Wright County pay a median $1,806 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.51%, more affordable than 10% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,806
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.51%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2808 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -9%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($119,600). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Iowa. Population: 12,791. Owner-occupied homes: 4,122.
The median annual property tax in Wright County is $1,806, which is 38% lower than the Iowa state average and 9% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.51% on a median home value of $119,600. Property taxes represent 2.7% of the median household income in this county.
Wright County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national headwind
Wright County's 1.51% effective rate is among the highest of 3,135 tracked counties: only about 90% pay more.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits below the Iowa median
Homeowners in Wright County pay a median annual property tax of $1,806, modestly below the national median and well below the Iowa state median. On a $119,600 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.51% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Low among Iowa counties by effective rate
Wright County ranks #13 of 99 counties in Iowa by effective rate (87% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has ticked up 6.5%, from $1,695 to $1,806. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Decision signal 5
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Wright County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.7% of the $67,190 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Wright 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 34% from $1,350 to $1,806. 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.
Owner-occupied homes cluster in the $1,500 to $1,999 range here: 917 of 4,122 (22.2%). A middle band carrying the plurality means the county median sits near the most common reported range.
The rate is in the national top quarter while earnings are only moderately above the midpoint, so the median bill claims 2.7% 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 Wright County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Wright County homeowners, 917 of 4,122 owner-occupied homes (22.2%), pays $1,500 to $1,999 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 15.0% (618)
- $800 to $1,499 20.2% (833)
- $1,500 to $1,999 22.2% (917)
- $2,000 to $2,999 19.3% (796)
- $3,000 or more 20.9% (862)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
96 homes here (2.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Iowa handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Wright County, mortgaged homeowners pay 14% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Wright County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Wright County's effective rate is higher than 87% of the 99 counties in Iowa - ranking #13 of 99.
Where Wright County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.51% more affordable than 10% 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
Among the highest-taxed counties in the country
At 1.51%, Wright County sits in the top 10% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. That is the rate, not the bill: a high rate on a modest home can still produce a smaller cheque than a low rate on an expensive one, which is why the $1,806 median bill is the number to compare against another county.
Wright County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Wright County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.7% | - | - |
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.
Wright County's STEEP · MID lane - is an appeal worth running?
On Wright County's published figures (STEEP · MID), a $119,600 median home carries a $1,806 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $181 a year at the same rate. Appeal Savings Estimator · appeal guide for Iowa.
Wright County rate trail · STEEP
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,806 +6.5% | 1.51% |
| 2023 | $1,695 +5.7% | 1.54% |
| 2022 | $1,604 +10.9% | 1.52% |
| 2021 | $1,446 +7.1% | 1.59% |
| 2020 | $1,350 | 1.57% |
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.
Wright County: tax-to-income at 2.7%
Counties near Wright County's effective rate
On effective rate, Wright County sits nearest Chautauqua County (KS), Grant County (KS), Harvey County (KS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Henderson County (NC), Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (AK), Miami County (KS).
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
Wright County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 160 of 5,760 returns from Wright County reported real estate taxes, averaging $3,919 - 31% of those reporters sat in the $50-75k 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
Wright County rate FAQs
- What is the average property tax in Wright County, Iowa?
- The median annual property tax in Wright County is $1,806, an effective rate of 1.51% on a $119,600 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- How does Wright County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Wright County run modestly below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.51% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Wright County?
- Wright County, Iowa scores D (41/100) 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 A+ (1.78×). 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.
- Are property taxes increasing in Wright County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Wright County is recorded at $1,806 in the 2024 5-year release against $1,350 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 4,122 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Wright County?
- Property taxes in Wright County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.7% of the $67,190 median household income.
What to do with Wright County's STEEP rate
Inside Iowa, Wright County's $1,806 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Iowa overview →
Wright County ranks #13 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 Wright 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: 1.51%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,806/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Wright County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Wright County (STEEP · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
STEEP MID
Crawford County, IL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Wright County at $1,806/yr; rate 1.49% vs Wright County 1.51%.
Hancock County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Wright County at $1,806/yr; rate 0.66% vs Wright County 1.51%.
Marion County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Wright County at $1,806/yr; rate 0.74% vs Wright County 1.51%.
Rogers County, OK
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Wright County at $1,806/yr; rate 0.75% vs Wright County 1.51%.
Iowa county set
State ACS overview for every published Iowa county rate and median bill.
Appeal filing windows
Wright 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 Wright County (STEEP · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.