Iowa · FIPS 19153 · ACS 2020–2024
Polk County, Iowa property tax rate
Homeowners in Polk County paid a median of $4,396 a year in real estate taxes on a median home value of $262,100 (2020–2024 survey). Taxes came to 1.57% of home value, 19% above the Iowa rate of 1.33% and 67% above the U.S. rate of 0.94%.
- 1.57%Effective tax rate±0.06% margin · Iowa: 1.33%
- $4,396Median tax per yearIowa: $2,897 · U.S.: $3,119
- $262,100Median home valueIowa: $208,000
- 138,309Owner-occupied homes67% of households own
| Measure | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. | Polk County 2019–2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effective tax rate | 1.57% | 1.33% | 0.94% | 1.64% | −0.06 pts |
| Median tax, all owners | $4,396 | $2,897 | $3,119 | $4,364 | +$32 (+0.7%) |
| Median tax, with a mortgage | $4,503 | $3,091 | $3,489 | $4,498 | +$5 (+0.1%) |
| Median tax, no mortgage | $4,130 | $2,633 | $2,576 | $4,033 | +$97 (+2.4%) |
| Median home value | $262,100 | $208,000 | $332,700 | $248,400 | +$13,700 (+5.5%) |
| Total taxes paid | $658,511,200 | $3,218,828,300 | $360,573,527,500 | $640,625,500 |
How Polk County compares
- Per $1,000 of home value, owners here paid about $15.73 a year, against $13.27 statewide and $9.40 nationally.
- Rank in Iowa: 92 of 92 counties from lowest to highest effective rate (among those with reliable estimates). Nationally, 94% of 2,682 counties had a lower rate.
- Homes with a mortgage: 1.56% of value; homes without one: 1.61%. Median bills: $4,503 and $4,130.
- Compared with the 2019–2023 survey, the effective rate fell (−0.06 pts) and the median tax changed +$32 (+0.7%). 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 1.57% ± 0.06% at 90% confidence, from a sample of the 138,309 owner-occupied homes.
Iowa counties with similar rates
| County | Effective rate | Median tax | Median value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County | 1.39% | $2,138 | $153,800 |
| Warren County | 1.39% | $3,865 | $269,600 |
| Cass County | 1.40% | $2,019 | $150,300 |
| Johnson County | 1.40% | $4,681 | $308,600 |
| Henry County | 1.43% | $2,559 | $164,300 |
| Scott County | 1.44% | $3,273 | $222,000 |
| Linn County | 1.47% | $3,547 | $214,300 |
| Union County | 1.48% | $2,197 | $122,000 |
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.