Property tax in Quay County, New Mexico

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Quay County, New Mexico is $532 a year, which is about 0.61% of the county's median home value of $87,200. That effective rate is higher than the typical New Mexico county (0.55%) 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 Quay County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Quay County's average effective rate of 0.61% (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: $532 / year

Property tax in Quay County at a glance

Quay County, New Mexico property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$532
Median home value	$87,200
Effective tax rate	0.61%
Typical New Mexico county rate	0.55%
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 Quay County compare in New Mexico?

Among New Mexico's 33 counties, Quay County has the 10th highest effective property-tax rate: 9 rank higher and 23 rank lower. That is on the higher side for New Mexico. Nationally, it ranks 2230th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every New Mexico county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Quay County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Quay County's 3,142 owner-occupied homes, 1.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 6.7% pay at least $2,000, and 57.9% pay under $800. Another 13.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Quay County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	1,820	57.9%
$800 to $1,499	483	15.4%
$1,500 to $1,999	192	6.1%
$2,000 to $2,999	160	5.1%
$3,000 or more	49	1.6%
No property tax paid	438	13.9%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $785 and owners without one pay $445. 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 Quay County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $532 is about 1% of the median income of Quay County homeowner households, $51,780 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 71.6% of Quay 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 Quay County?

The survey cannot tell. The median bill was $478 in 2015-2019 and $532 in 2020-2024, but that $54 difference is inside the Census's own margin of error for a county this size, so it could be sampling noise rather than a real change.

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 Quay County

Quay County borders 10 counties, 3 of them across the state line.

Quay County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Deaf Smith County, TX	1.48%	$1,801	$121,300
Oldham County, TX	1.09%	$1,780	$162,800
Hartley County, TX	1.01%	$2,645	$262,500
Union County, NM	0.7%	$859	$122,700
Quay County, NM (this county)	0.61%	$532	$87,200
De Baca County, NM	0.6%	$1,118	$187,500
Curry County, NM	0.59%	$1,017	$171,200
San Miguel County, NM	0.57%	$1,081	$188,500
Guadalupe County, NM	0.48%	$526	$110,000
Roosevelt County, NM	0.45%	$616	$135,800
Harding County, NM	0.44%	$305	$70,000

How is a home assessed in Quay County?

New Mexico assesses homes at 33.33% of market value in every county, Quay County included. How New Mexico assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Quay County?

Yes, for a head of family. New Mexico's exemption takes $2,000 off taxable value, often saving $50 to $90 a year. That is the New Mexico rule, and it applies in Quay County. New Mexico's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Quay County?

County treasurers mail bills around November 1. Tax is payable in two equal installments, the first due November 10 and the second due April 10 of the following year. You get a one month grace period on each: interest starts if the first half is not paid by December 10 or the second half by May 10.

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

How to appeal your Quay County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the the county valuation protests board, reached by petitioning the county assessor. The filing deadline is typically 30 days after the assessor mails your notice of valuation. That is the New Mexico rule; Quay County sets the exact dates and forms. The New Mexico appeal process step by step.

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

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Quay County, New Mexico: 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.