Property Tax in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
In Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, the typical homeowner pays $1,265 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $243,500. The figures on this page are the Census Bureau's published medians (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023), shown exactly as released.
What the Jefferson Parish numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Jefferson Parish pay more than $1,265, 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 0.52% for Jefferson Parish. 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.
Jefferson Parish by the numbers
| Measure | Jefferson Parish | Louisiana | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $1,265 | $1,146 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $243,500 | $208,700 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.52% | 0.55% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $105 | $96 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Jefferson Parish at a glance
- Median tax rank in Louisiana: #11 of 64 counties
- Median home value rank in Louisiana: #7 of 64
- Population rank in Louisiana: #2 of 64 (432,484 residents)
- Population density rank: #2 of 64 (1,437 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Louisiana: #57 of 64 (300 sq mi, 0.7% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $105; per $1,000 of home value: $0.52
How Jefferson Parish compares
The median tax bill in Jefferson Parish is about 10% higher than the state median ($1,146 for Louisiana) and about 57% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #11 out of 64 Louisiana counties with published Census data — 10 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. Jefferson Parish's derived rate of 0.52% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Jefferson Parish: the median bill works out to about $105 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $520 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 432,484 people — the #2 most populous county in Louisiana, spread over 300 square miles, a density of about 1,437 people per square mile. Its median home value, $243,500, ranks #7 among the state's 64 counties with data.
Nationally, Jefferson Parish's median bill of $1,265 ranks #1997 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 64% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 9.4% of Louisiana's population, its median home value is about 17% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 5.20% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Jefferson Parish to the most expensive county, Orleans Parish ($2,428), is $1,163 a year.
Counties nearest Jefferson Parish in the Louisiana ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Parish, LA | $1,329 | $234,200 | 0.57% |
| Plaquemines Parish, LA | $1,275 | $275,800 | 0.46% |
| Caddo Parish, LA | $1,081 | $175,900 | 0.61% |
| Livingston Parish, LA | $1,079 | $218,900 | 0.49% |
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 0.52%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $520 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $2,080. 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 Jefferson Parish
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 Jefferson Parish.
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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana?
The median real estate tax paid in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana is $1,265 per year, on a median home value of $243,500 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana?
The derived effective rate is 0.52% — the median bill ($1,265) expressed as a share of the median home value ($243,500). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Jefferson Parish compare with the rest of Louisiana?
By median taxes paid, Jefferson Parish stands at #11 among the 64 Louisiana counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $1,265 median bill is about 10% higher than the state median ($1,146), and 10 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana?
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 Jefferson Parish, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $1,265 on a median home value of $243,500.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Jefferson Parish 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.