Property Tax in Sacramento County, California
The median real estate tax bill in Sacramento County, California is $3,768 per year, and the median home is worth $498,900. Both figures are the US Census Bureau's survey medians for owner-occupied households (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What the Sacramento County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Sacramento County pay more than $3,768, and half pay less. Your own bill is set by your home's assessed value, the exemptions you qualify for, and the local taxing districts your property sits in — so individual bills vary widely around the median.
Dividing the median tax by the median home value gives a derived effective rate of 0.76% for Sacramento County. It is an estimate built from two survey medians, not the county's official rate, but it is a fair way to compare the local tax burden with other counties where home values are very different.
Sacramento County by the numbers
| Measure | Sacramento County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $3,768 | $4,926 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $498,900 | $695,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.76% | 0.71% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $314 | $410 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Sacramento County at a glance
- Median tax rank in California: #26 of 58 counties
- Median home value rank in California: #25 of 58
- Population rank in California: #8 of 58 (1,584,047 residents)
- Population density rank: #6 of 58 (1,641 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in California: #43 of 58 (965 sq mi, 0.6% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $314; per $1,000 of home value: $0.76
How Sacramento County compares
Set against its state, Sacramento County's median bill of $3,768 is about 24% lower than the California median ($4,926). Against the country as a whole it is about 27% higher than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #26 of 58 California counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Sacramento County's median home, at $498,900, ranks #25 by value in California, while its derived rate of 0.76% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Sacramento County: the median bill works out to about $314 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $755 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 1,584,047 people — the #8 most populous county in California, spread over 965 square miles, a density of about 1,641 people per square mile. Its median home value, $498,900, ranks #25 among the state's 58 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 262 record a higher median tax bill than Sacramento County — it sits in the top 8% nationally. The county holds roughly 4.0% of California's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $498,900 versus $695,400), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.76% adds up to about 7.55% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Modoc County, medians $1,445 — $2,323 less than Sacramento County per year.
Counties nearest Sacramento County in the California ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mono County, CA | $3,936 | $514,300 | 0.77% |
| San Joaquin County, CA | $3,782 | $494,500 | 0.77% |
| Mendocino County, CA | $3,376 | $486,000 | 0.69% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | $3,346 | $475,000 | 0.70% |
How the tax is worked out
Think of the final bill as three ingredients: the assessed value of the property, the exemptions subtracted from it, and the combined rate of every district the property sits in. Sacramento County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.76%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $3,020 a year, or around $252 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Checking your assessment in Sacramento County
Believe your assessment is too high? The practical order of attack is: obtain your record card and audit it line by line; collect comparable recent sales in Sacramento County; ask the assessor's office to correct anything plainly wrong; and, if the value still seems off, lodge a formal appeal ahead of the deadline printed on your assessment notice. Windows are short — often 30 to 90 days — and late appeals are usually rejected outright, however strong the case.
More California counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Sacramento County, California?
The median real estate tax paid in Sacramento County, California is $3,768 per year, on a median home value of $498,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Sacramento County, California?
The derived effective rate is 0.76% — the median bill ($3,768) expressed as a share of the median home value ($498,900). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Sacramento County compare with the rest of California?
By median taxes paid, Sacramento County stands at #26 among the 58 California counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $3,768 median bill is about 24% lower than the state median ($4,926), and 25 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Sacramento County, California?
Three steps produce the bill: an assessment of market value by the local assessor, a reduction for exemptions you qualify for (a homestead exemption is the common one), and multiplication by the combined rates of the county, municipality, school district and any special districts covering the property. The median result in Sacramento County is $3,768 of tax on a $498,900 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Sacramento County, California?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Sacramento County assessor, verify its details, and compare the assessed value against similar homes that sold recently. If the value still seems too high, submit a formal appeal to the board named on your notice before the stated deadline — usually a 30-to-90-day window.