Property tax in Buffalo County, Nebraska

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Buffalo County, Nebraska is $3,555 a year, which is about 1.44% of the county's median home value of $246,400. That effective rate is higher than the typical Nebraska county (1.27%) 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 Buffalo County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Buffalo County's average effective rate of 1.44% (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: $3,548 / year

Property tax in Buffalo County at a glance

Buffalo County, Nebraska property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$3,555
Median home value	$246,400
Effective tax rate	1.44%
Typical Nebraska county rate	1.27%
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 Buffalo County compare in Nebraska?

Among Nebraska's 93 counties, Buffalo County has the 17th highest effective property-tax rate: 16 rank higher and 76 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Nebraska. Nationally, it ranks 419th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Nebraska county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Buffalo County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Buffalo County's 13,269 owner-occupied homes, 58.7% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 78.1% pay at least $2,000, and 6.3% pay under $800. Another 4.4% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Buffalo County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	835	6.3%
$800 to $1,499	709	5.3%
$1,500 to $1,999	780	5.9%
$2,000 to $2,999	2,569	19.4%
$3,000 or more	7,790	58.7%
No property tax paid	586	4.4%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,554 and owners without one pay $3,558. That is within 10% either way, so in Buffalo County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $3,555 is about 3.7% of the median income of Buffalo County homeowner households, $95,820 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 66.4% of Buffalo 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 Buffalo County?

Yes. The median bill went from $2,760 in 2015-2019 to $3,555 in 2020-2024, a 28.8% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 41%, from $174,800 to $246,400. 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 Buffalo County

Buffalo County borders 8 counties.

Buffalo County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Adams County, NE	1.45%	$2,793	$193,100
Buffalo County, NE (this county)	1.44%	$3,555	$246,400
Hall County, NE	1.39%	$3,120	$224,600
Phelps County, NE	1.32%	$2,573	$194,900
Dawson County, NE	1.31%	$2,172	$166,200
Kearney County, NE	1.23%	$2,740	$223,400
Custer County, NE	1.16%	$1,838	$157,800
Howard County, NE	1.16%	$2,429	$209,100
Sherman County, NE	1.16%	$1,764	$152,000

How is a home assessed in Buffalo County?

Nebraska assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Buffalo County included. How Nebraska assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Buffalo County?

Only for some owners. Nebraska's homestead exemption is limited to owners 65 and older, disabled owners and veterans; every owner gets two credits printed on the county statement. That is the Nebraska rule, and it applies in Buffalo County. Nebraska's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Buffalo County?

Nebraska levies a year in arrears, and tax becomes due December 31 following the levy, at which point it also becomes a first lien on the property. You can pay in two halves. In most counties the first half becomes delinquent May 1 and the second September 1; in Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy counties the dates move up to April 1 and August 1.

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

How to appeal your Buffalo County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the County Board of Equalization, then the Tax Equalization and Review Commission. The filing deadline is typically June 30. That is the Nebraska rule; Buffalo County sets the exact dates and forms. The Nebraska appeal process step by step.

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

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Buffalo County, Nebraska: 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.