Texas · County property tax · ACS 2024
Zapata County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Zapata County pays $920 a year, an effective rate of 0.95%, far below the U.S. average.
- $920
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.95%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -54%
- vs U.S. average
- #206 of 250
- rank in TX
The verdict
Homeowners in Zapata County pay a median $920 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.95%, more affordable than 39% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $920
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.95%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1904 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -54%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($97,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Zapata County, TX
49/100
5 ACS dimensions · release 2024
Comparative score against U.S. county percentiles on Census ACS medians (effective rate, bill, income share, mortgage gap, home-value/income). Higher means more affordable on those published medians, not a recommendation to buy, sell, appeal, or move, and not your personal tax bill. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.
Zapata County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Median home value relative to Zapata County's median income
Median tax as a share of Zapata County's median household income
Zapata County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Zapata County
Read the chart values
- Bill size: 81/100 (A-) · $920/yr
- Housing pressure: 71/100 (B) · 2.47×
- Income room: 54/100 (C-) · 2.3%
- Rate relief: 40/100 (F) · 0.95%
- Mortgage premium: 1/100 (F) · +$1,256
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Texas. Population: 13,841. Owner-occupied homes: 3,285.
The median annual property tax in Zapata County is $920, which is 78% lower than the Texas state average and 54% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.95% on a median home value of $97,100. Property taxes represent 2.3% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Zapata County
Primary signal
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Zapata County pay a median annual property tax of $920, far below the national median and far below the Texas state median. On a $97,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.95% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
High among Texas counties by effective rate
Zapata County ranks #206 of 250 counties in Texas by effective rate (18% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Zapata County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.3% of the $39,239 median household income.
Decision signal 4
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Zapata County's 0.95% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 39%).
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Zapata County as reported to the Census Bureau, your own bill can differ based on your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, special districts, and municipal overlays. Always consult your county assessor, tax collector, or a qualified professional before making decisions that depend on these numbers.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 7.8% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 68% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 9.5%, the median bill rose 0.9% to $920: the rate did comparatively little to offset the market.
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 $912 to $920, a change of 1%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 1,405 of 3,285 owner-occupied homes (42.8%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
This county earns in the bottom quarter of the country and taxes above the median rate, so the median bill absorbs 2.3% of median household income. The rate alone understates that; it is the pairing that matters.
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 Zapata County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Zapata County homeowners, 1,405 of 3,285 owner-occupied homes (42.8%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 42.8% (1,405)
- $800 to $1,499 25.0% (821)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.4% (308)
- $2,000 to $2,999 9.6% (315)
- $3,000 or more 11.3% (371)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
65 homes here (2.0%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Texas handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Zapata County pay more than double the bill of those without one (+178%), the widest kind of value gap this dataset tracks.
How Zapata County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Zapata County's effective rate is higher than 18% of the 250 counties in Texas - ranking #206 of 250 for property tax burden.
Where Zapata County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.95% more affordable than 39% 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
Below Texas on both measures
Zapata County's effective rate runs 36% under the Texas median and its bill 78% under. Both sitting on the same side means the gap is not a valuation artefact: a county can post a low rate purely because its homes are expensive, but then the bill rises to meet the state. Here it does not, so the $920 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Texas norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Zapata County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Zapata County | Texas Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.3% | - | - |
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.
Zapata County stamps UNDER · LIGHT - still check the parcel card
On Zapata County's published figures (UNDER · LIGHT), a $97,100 median home carries a $920 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $92 a year at the same rate. Whether an appeal is worth filing depends on your own parcel. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to run your own numbers, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the procedure in Texas.
Property Tax History · UNDER · LIGHT
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $920 +0.9% | 0.95% |
| 2023 | $912 +6.3% | 1.03% |
| 2022 | $858 +1.5% | 1.01% |
| 2021 | $845 -7.3% | 1.02% |
| 2020 | $912 | 1.03% |
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.
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate modestly above the national average of 0.92% puts Zapata County in the "Affordable" band for property tax burden.
How this score is calculated: a 1-10 scale derived mechanically from the ratio of this county's effective rate to the national average effective rate (0.92%) - a ratio at or below 0.5× scores 10, a ratio at or above 2.0× scores 1, with a linear scale between. It is a factual comparison of Census figures only, not a recommendation, quality rating, or endorsement of Zapata County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Zapata County sits nearest Tripp County (SD), Benton County (OR), Shelby County (OH).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Logan County (WV), Morgan County (WV), Hamilton County (IL).
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
What tax filers report in Zapata County
Of the 5,440 federal returns filed from Zapata County in 2022, 30 (0.6% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $3,533 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $50-75k, who accounted for 100% of the county's reporting returns.
Two things this does not say. The amount is what filers reported, recorded before the $10,000 cap on combined state and local tax deductions applies, so it is not the amount deducted. And the share is of everyone who files a return, not of homeowners: most filers now take the standard deduction, so a minority itemise at all. Source: IRS Statistics of Income county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Texas
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Zapata County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What is the average property tax in Zapata County, Texas? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Zapata County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Zapata County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Zapata County? ▼
What to do with Zapata County's numbers
- Zapata County's $920 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 →
- Zapata County ranks #206 of 250 Texas counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Texas overview →
- If Zapata County's assessment looks high versus the $97,100 typical home, check Texas's filing window and evidence rules before the notice deadline passes. How to appeal →
Effective-rate definition
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($97,100); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
Nationwide peers by effective rate & median bill
Two PlainPropertyTax-derived comparison paths for Zapata County, both outside Texas so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice. Axes stay disjoint: median-bill peers exclude the effective-rate peer set.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 0.95%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $920/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Zapata County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Zapata County (UNDER · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER LIGHT
Humphreys County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $921/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.48% vs Zapata County 0.95%.
Lamb County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $919/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.12% vs Zapata County 0.95%.
Lewis County, MO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $919/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.71% vs Zapata County 0.95%.
Prince Edward County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $921/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.43% vs Zapata County 0.95%.
Texas county set
State ACS overview for every published Texas county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Zapata County stamps UNDER · 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.
Share and download this county card
Editorial standards and provenance
PlainPropertyTax is rendered directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on the Census ACS county-level record for Zapata County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.