Property Tax in Johnson County, Kansas
The median real estate tax bill in Johnson County, Kansas is $4,221 per year, and the median home is worth $366,000. 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 Johnson County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Johnson County pay more than $4,221, and half pay less. Your own bill is set by your home's assessed value, the exemptions you qualify for, and the local taxing districts your property sits in — so individual bills vary widely around the median.
Dividing the median tax by the median home value gives a derived effective rate of 1.15% for Johnson County. It is an estimate built from two survey medians, not the county's official rate, but it is a fair way to compare the local tax burden with other counties where home values are very different.
Johnson County by the numbers
| Measure | Johnson County | Kansas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $4,221 | $2,643 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $366,000 | $203,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.15% | 1.30% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $352 | $220 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Johnson County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Kansas: #1 of 105 counties
- Median home value rank in Kansas: #1 of 105
- Population rank in Kansas: #1 of 105 (614,764 residents)
- Population density rank: #1 of 105 (1,298 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Kansas: #99 of 105 (473 sq mi, 0.6% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $352; per $1,000 of home value: $1.15
How Johnson County compares
Of the 105 Kansas counties with published data, 0 have a higher median property tax bill than Johnson County's $4,221, putting the county at #1 in the state. Its bill is about 60% higher than the state median of $2,643 and about 42% 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 1.15%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #1 within Kansas.
Some extra context for Johnson County: the median bill works out to about $352 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,153 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 614,764 people — the #1 most populous county in Kansas, spread over 473 square miles, a density of about 1,298 people per square mile. Its median home value, $366,000, ranks #1 among the state's 105 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 195 record a higher median tax bill than Johnson County — it sits in the top 6% nationally. The county holds roughly 20.9% of Kansas's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $366,000 versus $203,400), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.15% adds up to about 11.53% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Chautauqua County, medians $1,012 — $3,209 less than Johnson County per year.
Counties nearest Johnson County in the Kansas ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, KS | $3,508 | $281,600 | 1.25% |
| Miami County, KS | $3,406 | $277,700 | 1.23% |
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. Johnson County's medians imply a derived rate of 1.15%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $4,612 a year, or around $384 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Checking your assessment in Johnson County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Johnson 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.
More Kansas counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Johnson County, Kansas?
The median real estate tax paid in Johnson County, Kansas is $4,221 per year, on a median home value of $366,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Johnson County, Kansas?
The derived effective rate is 1.15% — the median bill ($4,221) expressed as a share of the median home value ($366,000). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Johnson County compare with the rest of Kansas?
Johnson County ranks #1 of 105 Kansas counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $4,221 is about 60% higher than the Kansas median of $2,643.
How are property taxes calculated in Johnson County, Kansas?
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 Johnson County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $4,221 on a median home value of $366,000.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Johnson County, Kansas?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Johnson 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.