California · FIPS 06053 · ACS 2020–2024
Monterey County, California property tax rate
Homeowners in Monterey County paid a median of $4,910 a year in real estate taxes on a median home value of $781,000 (2020–2024 survey). Taxes came to 0.63% of home value, 10% below the California rate of 0.70% and 33% below the U.S. rate of 0.94%.
- 0.63%Effective tax rate±0.03% margin · California: 0.70%
- $4,910Median tax per yearCalifornia: $5,124 · U.S.: $3,119
- $781,000Median home valueCalifornia: $734,700
- 68,993Owner-occupied homes52% of households own
| Measure | Monterey County | California | U.S. | Monterey County 2019–2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effective tax rate | 0.63% | 0.70% | 0.94% | 0.62% | +0.01 pts |
| Median tax, all owners | $4,910 | $5,124 | $3,119 | $4,782 | +$128 (+2.7%) |
| Median tax, with a mortgage | $5,574 | $5,839 | $3,489 | $5,366 | +$208 (+3.9%) |
| Median tax, no mortgage | $3,732 | $3,825 | $2,576 | $3,540 | +$192 (+5.4%) |
| Median home value | $781,000 | $734,700 | $332,700 | $723,100 | +$57,900 (+8.0%) |
| Total taxes paid | $439,279,300 | $51,076,257,600 | $360,573,527,500 | $413,603,400 |
How Monterey County compares
- Per $1,000 of home value, owners here paid about $6.30 a year, against $6.98 statewide and $9.40 nationally.
- Rank in California: 11 of 55 counties from lowest to highest effective rate (among those with reliable estimates). Nationally, 35% of 2,682 counties had a lower rate.
- Homes with a mortgage: 0.68% of value; homes without one: 0.55%. Median bills: $5,574 and $3,732.
- Compared with the 2019–2023 survey, the effective rate rose (+0.01 pts) and the median tax changed +$128 (+2.7%). The two 5-year surveys share four years of responses, so year-to-year moves are small and partly noise.
- Margin of error: the effective rate is 0.63% ± 0.03% at 90% confidence, from a sample of the 68,993 owner-occupied homes.
California counties with similar rates
| County | Effective rate | Median tax | Median value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn County | 0.61% | $2,263 | $352,400 |
| Tuolumne County | 0.62% | $2,864 | $433,200 |
| Humboldt County | 0.62% | $2,858 | $446,900 |
| San Mateo County | 0.63% | $9,519 | $1,559,600 |
| San Luis Obispo County | 0.64% | $5,636 | $824,700 |
| Orange County | 0.64% | $6,330 | $962,600 |
| Sonoma County | 0.65% | $5,695 | $815,500 |
| Tehama County | 0.65% | $2,118 | $339,600 |
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, table-based summary file: B25090 (aggregate real estate taxes), B25082 (aggregate home value), B25103 (median real estate taxes), B25077 (median home value) and B25003 (tenure); files dated January 29, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates, same tables (files dated October 31, 2024), for the comparison column.
- Geography names: Census Bureau Geos20245YR.txt (file dated January 22, 2026).
Effective rate = total real estate taxes paid by owner-occupied homes ÷ their total value, as reported by owners to the Census Bureau. It is not a millage rate. Your bill depends on your assessed value, exemptions (such as homestead) and local levies.