Property tax in Jefferson County, Iowa

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Jefferson County, Iowa is $2,311 a year, which is about 1.41% of the county's median home value of $163,400. That effective rate is higher than the typical Iowa county (1.32%) and higher 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 Jefferson County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Jefferson County's average effective rate of 1.41% (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: $2,304 / year

Property tax in Jefferson County at a glance

Jefferson County, Iowa property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$2,311
Median home value	$163,400
Effective tax rate	1.41%
Typical Iowa county rate	1.32%
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 Jefferson County compare in Iowa?

Among Iowa's 99 counties, Jefferson County has the 26th highest effective property-tax rate: 25 rank higher and 73 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Iowa. Nationally, it ranks 451st of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Iowa county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Jefferson County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Jefferson County's 4,706 owner-occupied homes, 31.7% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 55.2% pay at least $2,000, and 9.8% pay under $800. Another 4.2% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Jefferson County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	462	9.8%
$800 to $1,499	728	15.5%
$1,500 to $1,999	720	15.3%
$2,000 to $2,999	1,104	23.5%
$3,000 or more	1,492	31.7%
No property tax paid	200	4.2%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,463 and owners without one pay $2,194. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $2,311 is about 2.9% of the median income of Jefferson County homeowner households, $80,833 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 67.7% of Jefferson 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 Jefferson County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,911 in 2015-2019 to $2,311 in 2020-2024, a 20.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 38.1%, from $118,300 to $163,400. 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 Jefferson County

Jefferson County borders 6 counties.

Jefferson County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Wapello County, IA	1.58%	$1,974	$125,100
Henry County, IA	1.56%	$2,559	$164,300
Jefferson County, IA (this county)	1.41%	$2,311	$163,400
Davis County, IA	1.4%	$2,269	$161,900
Washington County, IA	1.37%	$2,788	$203,900
Keokuk County, IA	1.26%	$1,494	$118,700
Van Buren County, IA	1.18%	$1,355	$114,600

How is a home assessed in Jefferson County?

Iowa sets the assessment rules and Jefferson County applies them. How Iowa assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Jefferson County?

Yes. From the 2026 assessment year Iowa exempts 10% of a homestead's taxable value, never less than $5,500 or more than $20,000. File form 54-028 with your assessor by July 1. That is the Iowa rule, and it applies in Jefferson County. Iowa's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Jefferson County?

Iowa bills for a fiscal year running July 1 to June 30 and you pay the county treasurer in two halves, the first by September 30 and the second by March 31. The statute technically says pay before September 1 and March 1, but nothing goes delinquent and no interest accrues until October 1 and April 1, which is why counties advertise the end of September and March as the real deadlines. If the last day lands on a weekend you have until the second business day of the following month.

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

How to appeal your Jefferson County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the your local board of review, then the Property Assessment Appeal Board or district court. The filing deadline is typically April 30, with protests accepted from April 2 onward. That is the Iowa rule; Jefferson County sets the exact dates and forms. The Iowa appeal process step by step.

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

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Jefferson County, Iowa: 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.