Property Tax in Linn County, Iowa

What the Linn County numbers mean

Read the two medians together: $3,396 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Linn County, and $204,400 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 Linn County is 1.66% (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 Linn County

For context, the Iowa medians are $2,795 of tax on $195,900 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.

Linn County at a glance

• Median tax rank in Iowa: #7 of 99 counties
• Median home value rank in Iowa: #17 of 99
• Population rank in Iowa: #2 of 99 (229,463 residents)
• Population density rank: #3 of 99 (320 people per square mile)
• Land area rank in Iowa: #10 of 99 (717 sq mi, 1.3% of the combined county land area)
• Median tax as a monthly figure: $283; per $1,000 of home value: $1.66

How Linn County compares

The median tax bill in Linn County is about 22% higher than the state median ($2,795 for Iowa) and about 14% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #7 out of 99 Iowa counties with published Census data — 6 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. Linn County's derived rate of 1.66% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.

Some extra context for Linn County: the median bill works out to about $283 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,661 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 229,463 people — the #2 most populous county in Iowa, spread over 717 square miles, a density of about 320 people per square mile. Its median home value, $204,400, ranks #17 among the state's 99 counties with data.

Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 334 record a higher median tax bill than Linn County — it sits in the top 11% nationally. The county holds roughly 7.2% of Iowa's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $204,400 versus $195,900), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.66% adds up to about 16.61% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Pocahontas County, medians $1,066 — $2,330 less than Linn County per year.

Counties nearest Linn County in the Iowa ranking

Linn County and its population peers

Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Linn County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Linn County ($3,396) ranks #4 of 9 by median tax paid.

The closest population match is Oneida County, New York (229,645 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $3,646 on a median home value of $171,100 — $250 less than Linn County pays.

Linn County's nearest population neighbours within Iowa are Polk County (497,441 residents, median tax $4,364 on a median value of $248,400); Scott County (174,302 residents, median tax $3,221 on a median value of $212,500); Johnson County (154,881 residents, median tax $4,587 on a median value of $293,100). Comparing them is a reminder that even inside one state's rules, the bill follows local home values and local district rates more than anything decided at the state level.

How the tax is worked out

As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Linn County's derived rate of 1.66%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $6,644 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.

Illustrative bills in Linn County at the derived rate

The derived rate of 1.66% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Linn County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.43% and the US figure of 0.98%:

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 Linn 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 Linn 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 Iowa counties

• Scott County, IA — $3,221
• Johnson County, IA — $4,587
• Black Hawk County, IA — $2,790
• Woodbury County, IA — $2,542
• Dallas County, IA — $4,849
• Dubuque County, IA — $2,848

Frequently asked questions