Property Tax in Adams County, Colorado
Homeowners in Adams County, Colorado pay a median of $2,770 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $458,400. Those are the Census Bureau's published medians for the county (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023) — the typical bill and the typical home value for owner-occupied households.
What the Adams County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Adams County pay more than $2,770, 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 0.60% for Adams 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.
The key figures for Adams County
| Measure | Adams County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $2,770 |
| Median home value | $458,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.60% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $231 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $604 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $2,416 |
For context, the Colorado medians are $2,448 of tax on $502,200 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Adams County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Colorado: #8 of 64 counties
- Median home value rank in Colorado: #23 of 64
- Population rank in Colorado: #5 of 64 (524,408 residents)
- Population density rank: #6 of 64 (449 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Colorado: #39 of 64 (1,166 sq mi, 1.1% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $231; per $1,000 of home value: $0.60
How Adams County compares
Of the 64 Colorado counties with published data, 7 have a higher median property tax bill than Adams County's $2,770, putting the county at #8 in the state. Its bill is about 13% higher than the state median of $2,448 and about 7% lower than the national median of $2,969.
Rates and values pull in opposite directions: an expensive housing market can produce big bills at ordinary rates. Here the derived rate is 0.60%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #23 within Colorado.
Some extra context for Adams County: the median bill works out to about $231 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $604 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 524,408 people — the #5 most populous county in Colorado, spread over 1,166 square miles, a density of about 449 people per square mile. Its median home value, $458,400, ranks #23 among the state's 64 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 539 record a higher median tax bill than Adams County — it sits in the top 17% nationally. The county holds roughly 9.0% of Colorado's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $458,400 versus $502,200), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.60% adds up to about 6.04% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Prowers County, medians $494 — $2,276 less than Adams County per year.
Counties nearest Adams County in the Colorado ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elbert County, CO | $2,981 | $664,600 | 0.45% |
| Jefferson County, CO | $2,867 | $604,400 | 0.47% |
| Arapahoe County, CO | $2,767 | $526,000 | 0.53% |
| Larimer County, CO | $2,662 | $532,200 | 0.50% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Adams County's derived rate of 0.60%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $2,416 a year. That is only an illustration using the derived rate — a real bill is computed from the property's assessed value, its exemptions, and the combined rates of its specific taxing districts, so it can be higher or lower.
The usual sequence is: the local assessor values the property; exemptions are applied; the taxable value is multiplied by the combined local rates; and the county bills and collects the tax, distributing it to the schools, municipalities and districts that levied it.
Checking your assessment in Adams 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 Adams 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Adams County, Colorado?
The median real estate tax paid in Adams County, Colorado is $2,770 per year, on a median home value of $458,400 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Adams County, Colorado?
The derived effective rate is 0.60% — the median bill ($2,770) expressed as a share of the median home value ($458,400). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Adams County compare with the rest of Colorado?
Adams County ranks #8 of 64 Colorado counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $2,770 is about 13% higher than the Colorado median of $2,448.
How are property taxes calculated in Adams County, Colorado?
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 Adams County is $2,770 of tax on a $458,400 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Adams County, Colorado?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Adams 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.