Property tax in Thurston County, Nebraska

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Thurston County, Nebraska is $1,682 a year, which is about 1.47% of the county's median home value of $114,600. 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 Thurston County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Thurston County's average effective rate of 1.47% (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: $1,685 / year

Property tax in Thurston County at a glance

Thurston County, Nebraska property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,682
Median home value	$114,600
Effective tax rate	1.47%
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 Thurston County compare in Nebraska?

Among Nebraska's 93 counties, Thurston County has the 12th highest effective property-tax rate: 11 rank higher and 81 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 377th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Nebraska county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Thurston County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Thurston County's 1,214 owner-occupied homes, 18.8% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 35.5% pay at least $2,000, and 17.1% pay under $800. Another 20.2% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Thurston County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	207	17.1%
$800 to $1,499	247	20.3%
$1,500 to $1,999	84	6.9%
$2,000 to $2,999	203	16.7%
$3,000 or more	228	18.8%
No property tax paid	245	20.2%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,245 and owners without one pay $1,277. 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 Thurston County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,682 is about 2.1% of the median income of Thurston County homeowner households, $81,643 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 61% of Thurston 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 Thurston County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,274 in 2015-2019 to $1,682 in 2020-2024, a 32% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 43.6%, from $79,800 to $114,600. 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 Thurston County

Thurston County borders 7 counties, 2 of them across the state line.

Thurston County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Dakota County, NE	1.54%	$2,854	$185,700
Thurston County, NE (this county)	1.47%	$1,682	$114,600
Woodbury County, IA	1.45%	$2,656	$183,200
Burt County, NE	1.32%	$1,937	$147,000
Dixon County, NE	1.2%	$1,874	$155,900
Wayne County, NE	1.12%	$2,486	$221,600
Monona County, IA	1.03%	$1,467	$142,900
Cuming County, NE	1%	$1,784	$178,800

How is a home assessed in Thurston County?

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

Is there a homestead exemption in Thurston 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 Thurston County. Nebraska's exemptions and relief programs in full.

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

How to appeal your Thurston 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; Thurston 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 Thurston 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.