Property Tax in Lee County, Florida
In Lee County, Florida, the typical homeowner pays $2,699 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $326,300. The figures on this page are the Census Bureau's published medians (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023), shown exactly as released.
What the Lee County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Lee County homeowners pay more than $2,699 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 $326,300, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.83%. 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.
Lee County by the numbers
| Measure | Lee County | Florida | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $2,699 | $2,555 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $326,300 | $325,000 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.83% | 0.79% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $225 | $213 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Lee County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Florida: #14 of 67 counties
- Median home value rank in Florida: #17 of 67
- Population rank in Florida: #8 of 67 (792,692 residents)
- Population density rank: #8 of 67 (1,015 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Florida: #26 of 67 (781 sq mi, 1.5% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $225; per $1,000 of home value: $0.83
How Lee County compares
Of the 67 Florida counties with published data, 13 have a higher median property tax bill than Lee County's $2,699, putting the county at #14 in the state. Its bill is about 6% higher than the state median of $2,555 and about 9% 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 0.83%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #17 within Florida.
Some extra context for Lee County: the median bill works out to about $225 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $827 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 792,692 people — the #8 most populous county in Florida, spread over 781 square miles, a density of about 1,015 people per square mile. Its median home value, $326,300, ranks #17 among the state's 67 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 580 record a higher median tax bill than Lee County — it sits in the top 19% nationally. The county holds roughly 3.6% of Florida's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $326,300 versus $325,000), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.83% adds up to about 8.27% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Holmes County, medians $527 — $2,172 less than Lee County per year.
Counties nearest Lee County in the Florida ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, FL | $2,795 | $358,300 | 0.78% |
| Hillsborough County, FL | $2,787 | $333,300 | 0.84% |
| Flagler County, FL | $2,628 | $333,400 | 0.79% |
| Alachua County, FL | $2,623 | $266,800 | 0.98% |
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. Lee County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.83%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $3,308 a year, or around $276 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Checking your assessment in Lee County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Lee 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 Lee County, Florida?
The median real estate tax paid in Lee County, Florida is $2,699 per year, on a median home value of $326,300 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Lee County, Florida?
On a derived basis, 0.83%: the county's median tax bill of $2,699 divided by its median home value of $326,300. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Lee County compare with the rest of Florida?
By median taxes paid, Lee County stands at #14 among the 67 Florida counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $2,699 median bill is about 6% higher than the state median ($2,555), and 13 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Lee County, Florida?
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 Lee County is $2,699 of tax on a $326,300 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Lee County, Florida?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Lee 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.