Property Tax in Riley County, Kansas
The median real estate tax bill in Riley County, Kansas is $3,317 per year, and the median home is worth $231,200. 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 Riley County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Riley County pay more than $3,317, 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 1.44% for Riley 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.
The key figures for Riley County
| Measure | Riley County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $3,317 |
| Median home value | $231,200 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.44% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $276 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $1,435 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $5,740 |
For context, the Kansas medians are $2,643 of tax on $203,400 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Riley County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Kansas: #4 of 105 counties
- Median home value rank in Kansas: #5 of 105
- Population rank in Kansas: #7 of 105 (71,710 residents)
- Population density rank: #7 of 105 (118 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Kansas: #82 of 105 (609 sq mi, 0.7% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $276; per $1,000 of home value: $1.44
How Riley County compares
The median tax bill in Riley County is about 26% higher than the state median ($2,643 for Kansas) and about 12% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #4 out of 105 Kansas counties with published Census data — 3 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. Riley County's derived rate of 1.44% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Riley County: the median bill works out to about $276 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,435 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 71,710 people — the #7 most populous county in Kansas, spread over 609 square miles, a density of about 118 people per square mile. Its median home value, $231,200, ranks #5 among the state's 105 counties with data.
Nationally, Riley County's median bill of $3,317 ranks #365 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 12% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 2.4% of Kansas's population, its median home value is about 14% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 14.35% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Riley County to the most expensive county, Johnson County ($4,221), is $904 a year.
Counties nearest Riley 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% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | $3,136 | $260,600 | 1.20% |
| Butler County, KS | $2,918 | $199,600 | 1.46% |
Riley County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Riley County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 71,710 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Riley County's median bill of $3,317 is #2 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, IN | 72,202 | $1,056 | $220,100 | 0.48% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 71,984 | $1,223 | $124,500 | 0.98% |
| Franklin County, NC | 71,962 | $1,732 | $240,900 | 0.72% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 71,946 | $458 | $135,500 | 0.34% |
| Surry County, NC | 71,407 | $1,033 | $166,400 | 0.62% |
| McKinley County, NM | 71,172 | $1,362 | $72,100 | 1.89% |
| Franklin County, MA | 70,922 | $4,595 | $303,400 | 1.51% |
| Greene County, TN | 70,919 | $803 | $186,400 | 0.43% |
The closest population match is DeKalb County, Alabama (71,946 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $458 on a median home value of $135,500 — $2,859 more than Riley County pays.
Riley County's nearest population neighbours within Kansas are Douglas County (119,547 residents, median tax $3,508 on a median value of $281,600); Leavenworth County (82,493 residents, median tax $3,136 on a median value of $260,600); Butler County (67,916 residents, median tax $2,918 on a median value of $199,600); Reno County (61,693 residents, median tax $2,180 on a median value of $125,000). 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 Riley County's derived rate of 1.44%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $5,740 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 Riley County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.44% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Riley County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.30% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $2,152 | $179 |
| $250,000 | $3,588 | $299 |
| $350,000 | $5,022 | $419 |
| $500,000 | $7,175 | $598 |
| $750,000 | $10,762 | $897 |
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 Riley 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 Riley 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.
More Kansas counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Riley County, Kansas?
The median real estate tax paid in Riley County, Kansas is $3,317 per year, on a median home value of $231,200 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Riley County, Kansas?
Dividing Riley County's median tax bill ($3,317) by its median home value ($231,200) gives a derived effective rate of 1.44%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Riley County compare with the rest of Kansas?
Riley County ranks #4 of 105 Kansas counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $3,317 is about 26% higher than the Kansas median of $2,643.
How are property taxes calculated in Riley County, Kansas?
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 Riley County is $3,317 of tax on a $231,200 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Riley County, Kansas?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Riley County assessor's office and check it for errors, then compare your assessed value with recent sales of similar homes. If it still looks too high, file a formal appeal with the local review board named on your assessment notice before the deadline printed on the notice — windows are short, often 30 to 90 days.