Property Tax in Marion County, Indiana
The median real estate tax bill in Marion County, Indiana is $1,923 per year, and the median home is worth $207,000. Both figures are the US Census Bureau's survey medians for owner-occupied households (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What the Marion County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $1,923 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Marion County, and $207,000 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 Marion County is 0.93% (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.
The key figures for Marion County
| Measure | Marion County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $1,923 |
| Median home value | $207,000 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.93% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $160 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $929 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $3,716 |
For context, the Indiana medians are $1,496 of tax on $201,600 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Marion County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Indiana: #6 of 92 counties
- Median home value rank in Indiana: #22 of 92
- Population rank in Indiana: #1 of 92 (971,822 residents)
- Population density rank: #1 of 92 (2,454 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Indiana: #47 of 92 (395 sq mi, 1.1% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $160; per $1,000 of home value: $0.93
How Marion County compares
The median tax bill in Marion County is about 29% higher than the state median ($1,496 for Indiana) and about 35% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #6 out of 92 Indiana counties with published Census data — 5 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. Marion County's derived rate of 0.93% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Marion County: the median bill works out to about $160 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $929 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 971,822 people — the #1 most populous county in Indiana, spread over 395 square miles, a density of about 2,454 people per square mile. Its median home value, $207,000, ranks #22 among the state's 92 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 1135 record a higher median tax bill than Marion County — it sits in the top 36% nationally. The county holds roughly 14.3% of Indiana's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $207,000 versus $201,600), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.93% adds up to about 9.29% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Clay County, medians $589 — $1,334 less than Marion County per year.
Counties nearest Marion County in the Indiana ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porter County, IN | $2,172 | $261,900 | 0.83% |
| Lake County, IN | $1,987 | $214,700 | 0.93% |
| Johnson County, IN | $1,875 | $260,400 | 0.72% |
| Monroe County, IN | $1,837 | $261,700 | 0.70% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Marion County's derived rate of 0.93%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $3,716 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 Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion County, Indiana?
The median real estate tax paid in Marion County, Indiana is $1,923 per year, on a median home value of $207,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Marion County, Indiana?
The derived effective rate is 0.93% — the median bill ($1,923) expressed as a share of the median home value ($207,000). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Marion County compare with the rest of Indiana?
By median taxes paid, Marion County stands at #6 among the 92 Indiana counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $1,923 median bill is about 29% higher than the state median ($1,496), and 5 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Marion County, Indiana?
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 Marion County is $1,923 of tax on a $207,000 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Marion County, Indiana?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Marion 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.