Property Tax in Lake County, Illinois
Homeowners in Lake County, Illinois pay a median of $8,743 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $326,600. 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 Lake County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Lake County homeowners pay more than $8,743 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 $326,600, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 2.68%. 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.
The key figures for Lake County
| Measure | Lake County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $8,743 |
| Median home value | $326,600 |
| Derived effective rate* | 2.68% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $729 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $2,677 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $10,708 |
For context, the Illinois medians are $5,189 of tax on $250,500 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Lake County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Illinois: #1 of 102 counties
- Median home value rank in Illinois: #2 of 102
- Population rank in Illinois: #3 of 102 (711,885 residents)
- Population density rank: #3 of 102 (1,605 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Illinois: #61 of 102 (443 sq mi, 0.8% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $729; per $1,000 of home value: $2.68
How Lake County compares
The median tax bill in Lake County is about 68% higher than the state median ($5,189 for Illinois) and about 194% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #1 out of 102 Illinois counties with published Census data — 0 counties in the state have a higher median bill.
Comparisons cut both ways: a county can have a modest rate but high bills because homes are expensive, or a high rate but modest bills because homes are cheaper. Lake County's derived rate of 2.68% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Lake County: the median bill works out to about $729 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $2,677 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 711,885 people — the #3 most populous county in Illinois, spread over 443 square miles, a density of about 1,605 people per square mile. Its median home value, $326,600, ranks #2 among the state's 102 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 23 record a higher median tax bill than Lake County — it sits in the top 1% nationally. The county holds roughly 5.6% of Illinois's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $326,600 versus $250,500), and a decade at the derived rate of 2.68% adds up to about 26.77% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Pulaski County, medians $668 — $8,075 less than Lake County per year.
Counties nearest Lake County in the Illinois ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| DuPage County, IL | $7,833 | $374,100 | 2.09% |
| Kendall County, IL | $7,556 | $298,900 | 2.53% |
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 2.68%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $2,677 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $10,708. 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake County, Illinois?
The median real estate tax paid in Lake County, Illinois is $8,743 per year, on a median home value of $326,600 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Lake County, Illinois?
The derived effective rate is 2.68% — the median bill ($8,743) expressed as a share of the median home value ($326,600). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Lake County compare with the rest of Illinois?
By median taxes paid, Lake County stands at #1 among the 102 Illinois counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $8,743 median bill is about 68% higher than the state median ($5,189), and 0 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Lake 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 Lake County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $8,743 on a median home value of $326,600.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Lake County, Illinois?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Lake 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.