By the numbers
Most property taxpayers in larger Wisconsin counties paid somewhat more in 2024 than in 2023, although some — those in Washington, Jefferson, Rock, Kenosha and Dodge — saw decreases.
Dramatically increasing home values across the state have spurred taxpayer backlash in some communities where residents are afraid higher assessments will result in higher tax bills as well. That is not necessarily the case because effective tax rates are going down as assessments skyrocket, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau provides annual estimates only for counties with populations of 65,000 or more, which included 25 Wisconsin counties in 2024.
Property taxes increased an average of 3.5% in those counties. While actual taxes paid went up, residents in most of those counties saw a decrease in their effective property tax rates. Effective property tax rates — the median property tax bill as a percentage of the median home price — decreased in all the largest counties except Portage, Eau Claire, and Fond du Lac.
Home values and assessments, meanwhile, were up almost everywhere. Updated 2024 figures from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey show that across the 25 largest counties in Wisconsin, all but Portage County saw an increase in home values between 2023 and 2024.
The median home value in Milwaukee County, for instance, increased from $232,500 to $254,700, a 9.5 percent increase. Over the same period, the median property tax bill across county, local and school district governments for Milwaukee County residents increased just $72 dollars to $4,282, a change of 1.7 percent. The effective tax rate decreased from 1.81 percent of home value in 2023 to 1.68 percent in 2024.
Similarly, Dane County median home values grew by 11.8 percent to $440,000, while median property taxes paid increased by 5.25 percent to $6,494. The net result was a decrease in the effective property tax rate from 1.56 percent to 1.47 percent.
According to the Tax Foundation, the wide variation across taxing jurisdictions at the county, municipal and school district levels makes it difficult to compute and compare legal tax rates — property tax levied per $1,000 of assessed value — across a state. However, in the American Community Survey, the Census Bureau measures the tax bills that homeowners ultimately pay, making it possible to calculate the effective tax rate for the median household within a county.
