Property tax in Stearns County, Minnesota

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Stearns County, Minnesota is $2,742 a year, which is about 1% of the county's median home value of $273,400. That effective rate is higher than the typical Minnesota county (0.99%) 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 Stearns County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Stearns County's average effective rate of 1% (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: $2,734 / year

Property tax in Stearns County at a glance

Stearns County, Minnesota property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$2,742
Median home value	$273,400
Effective tax rate	1%
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 Stearns County compare in Minnesota?

Among Minnesota's 87 counties, Stearns County has the 38th highest effective property-tax rate: 37 rank higher and 49 rank lower. That is near the middle for Minnesota. Nationally, it ranks 1112th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Minnesota county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Stearns County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Stearns County's 41,663 owner-occupied homes, 42.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 68.7% pay at least $2,000, and 5.2% pay under $800. Another 2% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Stearns County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	2,156	5.2%
$800 to $1,499	5,390	12.9%
$1,500 to $1,999	4,676	11.2%
$2,000 to $2,999	11,045	26.5%
$3,000 or more	17,568	42.2%
No property tax paid	828	2%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,726 and owners without one pay $2,762. That is within 10% either way, so in Stearns County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $2,742 is about 2.8% of the median income of Stearns County homeowner households, $96,893 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 67.9% of Stearns 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 Stearns County?

Yes. The median bill went from $2,050 in 2015-2019 to $2,742 in 2020-2024, a 33.8% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 47.9%, from $184,900 to $273,400. 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 Stearns County

Stearns County borders 9 counties.

Stearns County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Kandiyohi County, MN	1.02%	$2,492	$243,200
Stearns County, MN (this county)	1%	$2,742	$273,400
Sherburne County, MN	0.99%	$3,560	$361,400
Benton County, MN	0.98%	$2,651	$271,000
Wright County, MN	0.98%	$3,523	$358,900
Todd County, MN	0.95%	$1,982	$207,700
Meeker County, MN	0.9%	$2,243	$249,000
Morrison County, MN	0.88%	$2,190	$248,500
Douglas County, MN	0.83%	$2,674	$321,400
Pope County, MN	0.77%	$1,967	$255,100

How is a home assessed in Stearns County?

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

Is there a homestead exemption in Stearns 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 Stearns County. Minnesota's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Stearns 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. Stearns County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Stearns 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; Stearns 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 Stearns 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.