Property Tax in Douglas County, Colorado
Homeowners in Douglas County, Colorado pay a median of $3,707 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $674,000. 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 Douglas County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Douglas County homeowners pay more than $3,707 a year and half pay less. The exact bill for any one home depends on its assessed value, exemptions, and which school, municipal and special districts cover it.
Set against the median home value of $674,000, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.55%. That rate is an estimate computed from the two medians — no county publishes a rate calculated this way — but it adjusts for home prices, which makes comparisons between counties more meaningful.
Douglas County by the numbers
| Measure | Douglas County | Colorado | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $3,707 | $2,448 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $674,000 | $502,200 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.55% | 0.49% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $309 | $204 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Douglas County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Colorado: #4 of 64 counties
- Median home value rank in Colorado: #6 of 64
- Population rank in Colorado: #6 of 64 (368,283 residents)
- Population density rank: #7 of 64 (438 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Colorado: #47 of 64 (840 sq mi, 0.8% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $309; per $1,000 of home value: $0.55
How Douglas County compares
Set against its state, Douglas County's median bill of $3,707 is about 51% higher than the Colorado median ($2,448). Against the country as a whole it is about 25% higher than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #4 of 64 Colorado counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Douglas County's median home, at $674,000, ranks #6 by value in Colorado, while its derived rate of 0.55% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Douglas County: the median bill works out to about $309 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $550 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 368,283 people — the #6 most populous county in Colorado, spread over 840 square miles, a density of about 438 people per square mile. Its median home value, $674,000, ranks #6 among the state's 64 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 270 record a higher median tax bill than Douglas County — it sits in the top 9% nationally. The county holds roughly 6.3% of Colorado's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $674,000 versus $502,200), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.55% adds up to about 5.50% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Prowers County, medians $494 — $3,213 less than Douglas County per year.
Counties nearest Douglas County in the Colorado ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broomfield County, CO | $3,888 | $631,600 | 0.62% |
| Boulder County, CO | $3,821 | $713,900 | 0.54% |
| Eagle County, CO | $3,339 | $814,700 | 0.41% |
| Elbert County, CO | $2,981 | $664,600 | 0.45% |
How the tax is worked out
The bill is built in stages. First the assessor puts a market value on the property. Exemptions — a homestead exemption above all — then reduce the taxable amount. Finally the combined local rate is applied. To see the scale: at the county's derived rate of 0.55%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $550 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $2,200. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Checking your assessment in Douglas County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Douglas County assessor: wrong square footage, an extra room, or a missing homestead exemption are common and fixable. Next, line your assessed value up against recent sales of genuinely similar homes nearby. Many disputes end at an informal conversation with the assessor's office; if yours does not, file the formal appeal with the review board named on your notice before its deadline, evidence attached, and keep paying the bill in the meantime so penalties do not build up.
More Colorado counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Douglas County, Colorado?
The median real estate tax paid in Douglas County, Colorado is $3,707 per year, on a median home value of $674,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Douglas County, Colorado?
The derived effective rate is 0.55% — the median bill ($3,707) expressed as a share of the median home value ($674,000). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Douglas County compare with the rest of Colorado?
Douglas County ranks #4 of 64 Colorado counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $3,707 is about 51% higher than the Colorado median of $2,448.
How are property taxes calculated in Douglas 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 Douglas County is $3,707 of tax on a $674,000 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Douglas County, Colorado?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Douglas 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.