Property tax in Starke County, Indiana

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Starke County, Indiana is $967 a year, which is about 0.61% of the county's median home value of $157,700. That effective rate is lower than the typical Indiana county (0.66%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Starke County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Starke County's average effective rate of 0.61% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $962 / year

Property tax in Starke County at a glance

Starke County, Indiana property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$967
Median home value	$157,700
Effective tax rate	0.61%
Typical Indiana county rate	0.66%
National median county rate	0.81%

Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

How does Starke County compare in Indiana?

Among Indiana's 92 counties, Starke County has the 61st highest effective property-tax rate: 60 rank higher and 31 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Indiana. Nationally, it ranks 2216th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Indiana county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Starke County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Starke County's 7,453 owner-occupied homes, 9% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 18% pay at least $2,000, and 38.5% pay under $800. Another 4.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Starke County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	2,869	38.5%
$800 to $1,499	2,058	27.6%
$1,500 to $1,999	873	11.7%
$2,000 to $2,999	674	9%
$3,000 or more	672	9%
No property tax paid	307	4.1%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $996 and owners without one pay $917. That is within 10% either way, so in Starke County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

How does the Starke County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $967 is about 1.4% of the median income of Starke County homeowner households, $70,486 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 83% of Starke County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.

Have property taxes gone up in Starke County?

Yes. The median bill went from $780 in 2015-2019 to $967 in 2020-2024, a 24% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 36.5%, from $115,500 to $157,700. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.

Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.

Property tax in counties next to Starke County

Starke County borders 7 counties.

Starke County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
St. Joseph County, IN	0.86%	$1,665	$192,800
Porter County, IN	0.83%	$2,326	$281,500
LaPorte County, IN	0.77%	$1,503	$195,500
Marshall County, IN	0.66%	$1,362	$204,900
Starke County, IN (this county)	0.61%	$967	$157,700
Fulton County, IN	0.54%	$844	$156,500
Jasper County, IN	0.46%	$1,029	$221,500
Pulaski County, IN	0.45%	$708	$156,400

How is a home assessed in Starke County?

Indiana assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Starke County included. How Indiana assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Starke County?

Yes, but it is shrinking. Indiana's homestead standard deduction is $40,000 for assessment year 2026 and reaches $0 from 2030; a bill paid in 2026 reflects the $48,000 figure. That is the Indiana rule, and it applies in Starke County. Indiana's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Starke County?

Two installments, customarily due May 10 and November 10 of the year after the January 1 assessment, moving to the next business day when they fall on a weekend. One statement covering both is mailed in spring. Late payment costs 5% within 30 days, 10% after.

Indiana splits the bill into 2 installments. That is the Indiana rule. Starke County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Starke County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the County or township assessor, then the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals, then the Indiana Board of Tax Review. The filing deadline is typically June 15 of the assessment year if your Form 11 notice was mailed before May 1, otherwise June 15 of the year the bill was mailed. That is the Indiana rule; Starke County sets the exact dates and forms. The Indiana appeal process step by step.

Indiana rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Indiana page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Starke County, Indiana: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.