Property Tax in El Paso County, Colorado
Homeowners in El Paso County, Colorado pay a median of $1,773 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $431,000. 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 El Paso County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of El Paso County homeowners pay more than $1,773 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 $431,000, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.41%. 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.
El Paso County by the numbers
| Measure | El Paso County | Colorado | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $1,773 | $2,448 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $431,000 | $502,200 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.41% | 0.49% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $148 | $204 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
El Paso County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Colorado: #18 of 64 counties
- Median home value rank in Colorado: #28 of 64
- Population rank in Colorado: #1 of 64 (736,008 residents)
- Population density rank: #8 of 64 (346 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Colorado: #19 of 64 (2,126 sq mi, 2.1% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $148; per $1,000 of home value: $0.41
How El Paso County compares
Set against its state, El Paso County's median bill of $1,773 is about 28% lower than the Colorado median ($2,448). Against the country as a whole it is about 40% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #18 of 64 Colorado counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. El Paso County's median home, at $431,000, ranks #28 by value in Colorado, while its derived rate of 0.41% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for El Paso County: the median bill works out to about $148 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $411 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 736,008 people — the #1 most populous county in Colorado, spread over 2,126 square miles, a density of about 346 people per square mile. Its median home value, $431,000, ranks #28 among the state's 64 counties with data.
Nationally, El Paso County's median bill of $1,773 ranks #1308 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 42% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 12.7% of Colorado's population, its median home value is about 14% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 4.11% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from El Paso County to the most expensive county, Pitkin County ($4,450), is $2,677 a year.
Counties nearest El Paso County in the Colorado ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield County, CO | $2,095 | $490,600 | 0.43% |
| Ouray County, CO | $1,854 | $670,100 | 0.28% |
| Grand County, CO | $1,763 | $507,200 | 0.35% |
| Gunnison County, CO | $1,683 | $597,200 | 0.28% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at El Paso County's derived rate of 0.41%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $1,644 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 El Paso County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the El Paso 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in El Paso County, Colorado?
The median real estate tax paid in El Paso County, Colorado is $1,773 per year, on a median home value of $431,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in El Paso County, Colorado?
The derived effective rate is 0.41% — the median bill ($1,773) expressed as a share of the median home value ($431,000). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does El Paso County compare with the rest of Colorado?
El Paso County ranks #18 of 64 Colorado counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $1,773 is about 28% lower than the Colorado median of $2,448.
How are property taxes calculated in El Paso County, Colorado?
The assessor estimates your property's market value; exemptions (such as a homestead exemption) reduce the taxable amount; and the result is multiplied by the combined rates of the local taxing districts — county, municipality, school district and any special districts. In El Paso County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $1,773 on a median home value of $431,000.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in El Paso County, Colorado?
Yes. Request your property record card from the El Paso County assessor's office and check it for errors, then compare your assessed value with recent sales of similar homes. If it still looks too high, file a formal appeal with the local review board named on your assessment notice before the deadline printed on the notice — windows are short, often 30 to 90 days.