Iowa · FIPS 19089 · ACS 2020–2024
Howard County, Iowa property tax rate
Homeowners in Howard County paid a median of $1,853 a year in real estate taxes on a median home value of $147,800 (2020–2024 survey). Taxes came to 1.17% of home value, 12% below the Iowa rate of 1.33% and 24% above the U.S. rate of 0.94%.
- 1.17%Effective tax rate±0.14% margin · Iowa: 1.33%
- $1,853Median tax per yearIowa: $2,897 · U.S.: $3,119
- $147,800Median home valueIowa: $208,000
- 2,921Owner-occupied homes77% of households own
| Measure | Howard County | Iowa | U.S. | Howard County 2019–2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effective tax rate | 1.17% | 1.33% | 0.94% | 1.11% | +0.06 pts |
| Median tax, all owners | $1,853 | $2,897 | $3,119 | $1,744 | +$109 (+6.2%) |
| Median tax, with a mortgage | $1,890 | $3,091 | $3,489 | $1,744 | +$146 (+8.4%) |
| Median tax, no mortgage | $1,812 | $2,633 | $2,576 | $1,743 | +$69 (+4.0%) |
| Median home value | $147,800 | $208,000 | $332,700 | $133,900 | +$13,900 (+10.4%) |
| Total taxes paid | $6,273,000 | $3,218,828,300 | $360,573,527,500 | $5,696,500 |
How Howard County compares
- Per $1,000 of home value, owners here paid about $11.70 a year, against $13.27 statewide and $9.40 nationally.
- Rank in Iowa: 40 of 92 counties from lowest to highest effective rate (among those with reliable estimates). Nationally, 79% of 2,682 counties had a lower rate.
- Homes with a mortgage: 1.20% of value; homes without one: 1.15%. Median bills: $1,890 and $1,812.
- Compared with the 2019–2023 survey, the effective rate rose (+0.06 pts) and the median tax changed +$109 (+6.2%). 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 1.17% ± 0.14% at 90% confidence, from a sample of the 2,921 owner-occupied homes.
Iowa counties with similar rates
| County | Effective rate | Median tax | Median value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guthrie County | 1.16% | $2,199 | $180,100 |
| Delaware County | 1.16% | $2,382 | $177,900 |
| Jones County | 1.16% | $2,450 | $184,800 |
| Marion County | 1.17% | $2,848 | $233,000 |
| Hamilton County | 1.17% | $1,977 | $156,400 |
| Emmet County | 1.18% | $1,680 | $114,100 |
| Grundy County | 1.18% | $2,273 | $198,800 |
| Hancock County | 1.18% | $1,673 | $141,400 |
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.