Release-change ranking · ACS 2020–2024
Counties with the fastest property-tax increases
Sterling County, Texas has the largest published percentage increase among counties with a 2020 median of at least $500: +132.1%, from $816 to $1,894. This is a comparison of ACS releases, not a causal explanation of a tax bill.
- +132.1%
- #1 published increase
- +23.5%
- average across 2,930 eligible counties
- $500
- 2020 comparison floor
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s ACS 5-Year Estimates, this is a mechanical ranking of the percentage difference between two published county estimates. The $500 starting-value floor keeps the comparison stable; it does not remove any county from the downloadable paired-release dataset. See the methodology for source fields and limitations.
The bar to make this list
It takes a published increase of +57.1% to reach this list, about 2.5x the +22.7% the typical eligible county recorded, and Sterling County, Texas sits far beyond it at +132.1%.
- +57.1%
- the bar to make this list
- +22.7%
- the typical eligible county
- 2.5x
- the bar, against that typical county
- 2,930
- counties clear the $500 floor
Percentage difference between the same county's median in the 2020 and 2024 ACS five-year releases, among counties whose 2020 median was at least $500.
Where the cut line sits among all eligible counties
The 50th county on this list rose +57.1%. Bars cover every county clearing the $500 2020 floor
57% Top 2% higher than 98% of 2,930 eligible counties
Show national distribution
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more eligible 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
| # | County | 2020 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sterling CountyTexas | $816 | $1,894 | +132.1% |
| 2 | Lincoln CountyColorado | $509 | $1,092 | +114.5% |
| 3 | Duval CountyTexas | $567 | $1,148 | +102.5% |
| 4 | San Miguel CountyColorado | $971 | $1,900 | +95.7% |
| 5 | Dimmit CountyTexas | $674 | $1,223 | +81.5% |
| 6 | Teton CountyWyoming | $4,015 | $7,267 | +81.0% |
| 7 | Pitkin CountyColorado | $2,316 | $4,074 | +75.9% |
| 8 | Jasper CountySouth Carolina | $1,065 | $1,852 | +73.9% |
| 9 | Pecos CountyTexas | $985 | $1,707 | +73.3% |
| 10 | Garfield CountyNebraska | $1,383 | $2,383 | +72.3% |
| 11 | Montgomery CountyMississippi | $737 | $1,269 | +72.2% |
| 12 | Mora CountyNew Mexico | $517 | $885 | +71.2% |
| 13 | Jim Hogg CountyTexas | $736 | $1,258 | +70.9% |
| 14 | Stewart CountyGeorgia | $584 | $994 | +70.2% |
| 15 | Benton CountyIndiana | $686 | $1,165 | +69.8% |
| 16 | Lynn CountyTexas | $1,538 | $2,604 | +69.3% |
| 17 | Montgomery CountyIndiana | $669 | $1,116 | +66.8% |
| 18 | Live Oak CountyTexas | $915 | $1,525 | +66.7% |
| 19 | Screven CountyGeorgia | $913 | $1,519 | +66.4% |
| 20 | Nome Census AreaAlaska | $1,968 | $3,264 | +65.9% |
| 21 | Grand CountyColorado | $1,252 | $2,071 | +65.4% |
| 22 | Texas CountyOklahoma | $686 | $1,131 | +64.9% |
| 23 | Custer CountyIdaho | $675 | $1,112 | +64.7% |
| 24 | Blanco CountyTexas | $2,738 | $4,510 | +64.7% |
| 25 | De Baca CountyNew Mexico | $680 | $1,118 | +64.4% |
| 26 | Chowan CountyNorth Carolina | $1,024 | $1,677 | +63.8% |
| 27 | Brooks CountyTexas | $647 | $1,060 | +63.8% |
| 28 | Ouachita ParishLouisiana | $644 | $1,054 | +63.7% |
| 29 | Valley CountyMontana | $1,426 | $2,333 | +63.6% |
| 30 | San Juan CountyColorado | $835 | $1,364 | +63.4% |
| 31 | Dade CountyGeorgia | $694 | $1,133 | +63.3% |
| 32 | Union CountyNew Mexico | $527 | $859 | +63.0% |
| 33 | Telfair CountyGeorgia | $779 | $1,269 | +62.9% |
| 34 | Jones CountySouth Dakota | $806 | $1,313 | +62.9% |
| 35 | Schleicher CountyTexas | $941 | $1,532 | +62.8% |
| 36 | La Salle CountyTexas | $882 | $1,434 | +62.6% |
| 37 | Zavala CountyTexas | $935 | $1,512 | +61.7% |
| 38 | Plaquemines ParishLouisiana | $886 | $1,427 | +61.1% |
| 39 | Yazoo CountyMississippi | $743 | $1,197 | +61.1% |
| 40 | Rockdale CountyGeorgia | $1,290 | $2,074 | +60.8% |
| 41 | Owyhee CountyIdaho | $901 | $1,432 | +58.9% |
| 42 | Hendry CountyFlorida | $1,106 | $1,756 | +58.8% |
| 43 | Terry CountyTexas | $1,121 | $1,779 | +58.7% |
| 44 | Watonwan CountyMinnesota | $1,072 | $1,700 | +58.6% |
| 45 | Haskell CountyTexas | $719 | $1,140 | +58.6% |
| 46 | Gray CountyKansas | $1,944 | $3,071 | +58.0% |
| 47 | Big Stone CountyMinnesota | $932 | $1,473 | +58.0% |
| 48 | Nelson CountyNorth Dakota | $663 | $1,044 | +57.5% |
| 49 | Mono CountyCalifornia | $2,657 | $4,177 | +57.2% |
| 50 | Menard CountyTexas | $1,344 | $2,111 | +57.1% |
How to read this ranking
A large change in a published median estimate can coexist with a lower current effective rate than another county. Open a county profile for its five-year series and current context, or inspect all paired records in the county release-comparison dataset.
Frequently asked questions
What does an increase in this ranking mean?
Why exclude counties below $500 in the starting release?
Are these current property tax bills?
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. Mechanical sort by percentage change in the same county-level ACS median property-tax estimate between 2020 and 2024; not a policy, assessment, exemption, or individual-bill finding. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.