Property tax in Powder River County, Montana

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Powder River County, Montana is $1,304 a year, which is about 0.68% of the county's median home value of $192,100. That effective rate is about the same as the typical Montana county (0.68%) 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 Powder River County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Powder River County's average effective rate of 0.68% (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: $1,306 / year

Property tax in Powder River County at a glance

Powder River County, Montana property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,304
Median home value	$192,100
Effective tax rate	0.68%
Typical Montana county rate	0.68%
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 Powder River County compare in Montana?

Among Montana's 56 counties, Powder River County has the 29th highest effective property-tax rate: 28 rank higher and 27 rank lower. That is near the middle for Montana. Nationally, it ranks 1965th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Montana county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Powder River County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Powder River County's 558 owner-occupied homes, 9% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 24.2% pay at least $2,000, and 23.7% pay under $800. Another 10.6% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Powder River County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	132	23.7%
$800 to $1,499	184	33%
$1,500 to $1,999	48	8.6%
$2,000 to $2,999	85	15.2%
$3,000 or more	50	9%
No property tax paid	59	10.6%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,360 and owners without one pay $1,244. That is within 10% either way, so in Powder River County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $1,304 is about 1.8% of the median income of Powder River County homeowner households, $71,250 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 78.8% of Powder River 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 Powder River County?

Yes. The median bill went from $943 in 2015-2019 to $1,304 in 2020-2024, a 38.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 34.7%, from $142,600 to $192,100.

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 Powder River County

Powder River County borders 7 counties, 3 of them across the state line.

Powder River County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Big Horn County, MT	1.1%	$1,574	$143,400
Custer County, MT	1.03%	$2,264	$219,100
Rosebud County, MT	0.7%	$1,285	$182,400
Powder River County, MT (this county)	0.68%	$1,304	$192,100
Campbell County, WY	0.57%	$1,599	$279,100
Crook County, WY	0.56%	$1,610	$285,800
Sheridan County, WY	0.55%	$2,177	$394,900
Carter County, MT	0.45%	$904	$199,200

How is a home assessed in Powder River County?

Montana sets the assessment rules and Powder River County applies them. How Montana assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Powder River County?

Not as a dollar amount. Montana's homestead benefit is a lower tax rate for an enrolled principal residence; a home that does not enroll is taxed at the flat 1.9% rate. That is the Montana rule, and it applies in Powder River County. Montana's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Powder River County?

Montana bills once and you pay in two halves. The first half is due by 5 p.m. on November 30, or 30 days after the notice is mailed if that falls later, and the second by 5 p.m. on May 31. Anything unpaid after May 31 is delinquent, picks up a 2% penalty and accrues interest monthly. Owners of a primary residence can instead enroll in an alternative schedule spreading the bill over seven monthly payments from November through May.

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

How to appeal your Powder River County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the County Tax Appeal Board, then the Montana Tax Appeal Board, then district court. The filing deadline is typically 30 days from the date on your classification and appraisal notice. That is the Montana rule; Powder River County sets the exact dates and forms. The Montana appeal process step by step.

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

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Powder River County, Montana: 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.