Property tax in Clearwater County, Minnesota

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Clearwater County, Minnesota is $1,295 a year, which is about 0.67% of the county's median home value of $192,100. That effective rate is lower than the typical Minnesota county (0.99%) 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 Clearwater County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Clearwater County's average effective rate of 0.67% (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: $1,287 / year

Property tax in Clearwater County at a glance

Clearwater County, Minnesota property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,295
Median home value	$192,100
Effective tax rate	0.67%
Typical Minnesota county rate	0.99%
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 Clearwater County compare in Minnesota?

Among Minnesota's 87 counties, Clearwater County has the 84th highest effective property-tax rate: 83 rank higher and 3 rank lower. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 1992nd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Minnesota county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Clearwater County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Clearwater County's 2,676 owner-occupied homes, 10.4% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 25.8% pay at least $2,000, and 23.3% pay under $800. Another 5.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Clearwater County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	623	23.3%
$800 to $1,499	905	33.8%
$1,500 to $1,999	323	12.1%
$2,000 to $2,999	411	15.4%
$3,000 or more	278	10.4%
No property tax paid	136	5.1%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,353 and owners without one pay $1,215. 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 Clearwater County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,295 is about 1.7% of the median income of Clearwater County homeowner households, $76,292 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 80.1% of Clearwater 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 Clearwater County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,098 in 2015-2019 to $1,295 in 2020-2024, a 17.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 40%, from $137,200 to $192,100. 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 Clearwater County

Clearwater County borders 6 counties.

Clearwater County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Pennington County, MN	1.26%	$2,458	$195,500
Polk County, MN	1.01%	$2,245	$222,800
Beltrami County, MN	0.97%	$2,309	$237,500
Mahnomen County, MN	0.93%	$1,509	$161,900
Hubbard County, MN	0.78%	$2,217	$282,600
Becker County, MN	0.69%	$2,014	$291,000
Clearwater County, MN (this county)	0.67%	$1,295	$192,100

How is a home assessed in Clearwater County?

Minnesota sets the assessment rules and Clearwater County applies them. How Minnesota assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Clearwater County?

Yes, on a sliding scale. Minnesota's Homestead Market Value Exclusion is worth up to $38,000 on homes worth $95,000 or less and shrinks to nothing at $517,200. That is the Minnesota rule, and it applies in Clearwater County. Minnesota's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Clearwater County?

Two installments, the first due May 15 and the second October 15, with agricultural property getting until November 15 on the second half. If your total tax is $100 or less the whole amount is due in May. Late penalties start at 2% on homestead property and climb monthly.

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

How to appeal your Clearwater County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the Local Board of Appeal and Equalization, then the County Board, then Minnesota Tax Court. The filing deadline is typically April 30 of the year the tax is payable (Tax Court). That is the Minnesota rule; Clearwater County sets the exact dates and forms. The Minnesota appeal process step by step.

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

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Clearwater County, Minnesota: 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.