Property Tax in Champaign County, Illinois
Homeowners in Champaign County, Illinois pay a median of $4,245 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $205,100. 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 Champaign County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $4,245 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Champaign County, and $205,100 is the middle home value. Neither figure describes a specific property — together they describe the typical homeowner's situation in the county.
The derived effective rate for Champaign County is 2.07% (median tax ÷ median value). Treat it as an estimate for comparison only: it comes from survey medians of different households, not from the county's rate schedule.
Champaign County by the numbers
| Measure | Champaign County | Illinois | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $4,245 | $5,189 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $205,100 | $250,500 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 2.07% | 2.07% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $354 | $432 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Champaign County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Illinois: #13 of 102 counties
- Median home value rank in Illinois: #11 of 102
- Population rank in Illinois: #10 of 102 (206,098 residents)
- Population density rank: #14 of 102 (207 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Illinois: #5 of 102 (996 sq mi, 1.8% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $354; per $1,000 of home value: $2.07
How Champaign County compares
Of the 102 Illinois counties with published data, 12 have a higher median property tax bill than Champaign County's $4,245, putting the county at #13 in the state. Its bill is about 18% lower than the state median of $5,189 and about 43% higher 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 2.07%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #11 within Illinois.
Some extra context for Champaign County: the median bill works out to about $354 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $2,070 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 206,098 people — the #10 most populous county in Illinois, spread over 996 square miles, a density of about 207 people per square mile. Its median home value, $205,100, ranks #11 among the state's 102 counties with data.
Nationally, Champaign County's median bill of $4,245 ranks #190 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 6% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 1.6% of Illinois's population, its median home value is about 18% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 20.70% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Champaign County to the most expensive county, Lake County ($8,743), is $4,498 a year.
Counties nearest Champaign County in the Illinois ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County, IL | $4,507 | $198,600 | 2.27% |
| McLean County, IL | $4,503 | $198,300 | 2.27% |
| Woodford County, IL | $4,224 | $193,800 | 2.18% |
| Kankakee County, IL | $4,125 | $185,700 | 2.22% |
Champaign County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Champaign County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Champaign County ($4,245) ranks #2 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hall County, GA | 208,395 | $2,382 | $313,600 | 0.76% |
| Yuma County, AZ | 207,685 | $1,281 | $195,700 | 0.66% |
| Anderson County, SC | 207,218 | $985 | $212,500 | 0.46% |
| Elkhart County, IN | 206,868 | $1,592 | $194,400 | 0.82% |
| Richmond County, GA | 206,040 | $1,440 | $163,300 | 0.88% |
| Muscogee County, GA | 204,383 | $1,526 | $182,300 | 0.84% |
| Ellis County, TX | 203,927 | $4,472 | $306,400 | 1.46% |
| Hawaii County, HI | 203,684 | $1,392 | $486,400 | 0.29% |
The closest population match is Richmond County, Georgia (206,040 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,440 on a median home value of $163,300 — $2,805 more than Champaign County pays.
Inside Illinois itself, the counties closest to Champaign County in population are Madison County (264,631 residents, median tax $3,232 on a median value of $167,900); St. Clair County (254,777 residents, median tax $3,533 on a median value of $168,800); Sangamon County (195,217 residents, median tax $3,369 on a median value of $170,300); Peoria County (179,831 residents, median tax $3,416 on a median value of $152,600). Same state, same broad tax framework — yet the median bills still differ, because assessed values and the mix of county, municipal and school-district rates are set locally.
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. Champaign County's medians imply a derived rate of 2.07%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $8,280 a year, or around $690 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Champaign County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 2.07% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Champaign County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 2.07% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $3,105 | $259 |
| $250,000 | $5,175 | $431 |
| $350,000 | $7,245 | $604 |
| $500,000 | $10,350 | $862 |
| $750,000 | $15,525 | $1,294 |
Illustration only: real bills are computed from the assessed value, exemptions, and the combined rates of the property's actual taxing districts.
Checking your assessment in Champaign County
If your bill looks wrong, work through these steps:
1. Get your property record card from the assessor and check the basics — living area, lot size, bedrooms, condition, and any exemptions you should have.
2. Compare your assessed value with recent sale prices of similar homes in Champaign County.
3. Talk to the assessor's office informally first; clear errors are often fixed without a hearing.
4. If needed, file a formal appeal with the local review board before the deadline on your assessment notice, with your evidence attached.
5. Keep paying the bill as issued while the appeal runs, unless your notice says otherwise — unpaid taxes accrue penalties regardless of an appeal.
More Illinois counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Champaign County, Illinois?
The median real estate tax paid in Champaign County, Illinois is $4,245 per year, on a median home value of $205,100 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Champaign County, Illinois?
On a derived basis, 2.07%: the county's median tax bill of $4,245 divided by its median home value of $205,100. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Champaign County compare with the rest of Illinois?
By median taxes paid, Champaign County stands at #13 among the 102 Illinois counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $4,245 median bill is about 18% lower than the state median ($5,189), and 12 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Champaign County, Illinois?
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 Champaign County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $4,245 on a median home value of $205,100.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Champaign County, Illinois?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Champaign 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.