Property tax in Cowley County, Kansas
The median property tax bill in Cowley County, Kansas is $1,999 a year, which is about 1.65% of the county's median home value of $120,900. That effective rate is higher than the typical Kansas county (1.51%) 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 Cowley County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Cowley County's average effective rate of 1.65% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,995 / year
Property tax in Cowley County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,999 |
| Median home value | $120,900 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.65% |
| Typical Kansas county rate | 1.51% |
| 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 Cowley County compare in Kansas?
Among Kansas's 105 counties, Cowley County has the 35th highest effective property-tax rate: 34 rank higher and 70 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Kansas. Nationally, it ranks 223rd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Kansas county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Cowley County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Cowley County's 9,117 owner-occupied homes, 27.7% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 49.2% pay at least $2,000, and 12.3% pay under $800. Another 1.5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,123 | 12.3% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 2,206 | 24.2% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 1,164 | 12.8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 1,961 | 21.5% |
| $3,000 or more | 2,529 | 27.7% |
| No property tax paid | 134 | 1.5% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,285 and owners without one pay $1,668. 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 Cowley County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,999 is about 2.8% of the median income of Cowley County homeowner households, $71,606 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 68.1% of Cowley 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 Cowley County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,519 in 2015-2019 to $1,999 in 2020-2024, a 31.6% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 35.8%, from $89,000 to $120,900.
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 Cowley County
Cowley County borders 7 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk County, KS | 2.03% | $1,388 | $68,500 |
| Cowley County, KS (this county) | 1.65% | $1,999 | $120,900 |
| Sumner County, KS | 1.58% | $2,130 | $135,100 |
| Chautauqua County, KS | 1.51% | $991 | $65,500 |
| Butler County, KS | 1.46% | $3,177 | $217,600 |
| Sedgwick County, KS | 1.21% | $2,461 | $203,300 |
| Osage County, OK | 0.69% | $1,248 | $182,100 |
| Kay County, OK | 0.66% | $821 | $124,700 |
How is a home assessed in Cowley County?
Kansas assesses homes at 11.5% of market value in every county, Cowley County included. How Kansas assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Cowley County?
Only against one levy. Kansas exempts the first $75,000 of appraised value from the 20 mill statewide school levy, worth roughly $173 a year at most, applied automatically. That is the Kansas rule, and it applies in Cowley County. Kansas's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Cowley County?
County treasurers mail statements from November through December 15. You can pay the full year by December 20, or split it and pay half by December 20 and the rest by May 10. If the bill is $10 or less the whole amount is due December 20. When a due date lands on a weekend it moves to the treasurer's next business day.
Kansas splits the bill into 2 installments. That is the Kansas rule. Cowley County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Cowley County property assessment
You contest the assessed value with the county appraiser (informal meeting), then the Board of Tax Appeals Small Claims Division, then the full Board of Tax Appeals. The filing deadline is typically 30 days after the county mails your valuation notice. That is the Kansas rule; Cowley County sets the exact dates and forms. The Kansas appeal process step by step.
Kansas rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Kansas page.
Work out your own numbers
-
How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Cowley County's tax rate to hand.
-
Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
-
Kansas income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Kansas actually taxes.
-
Sales tax in Cowley County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Cowley County, Kansas: 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.