Property Tax in Washington County, Minnesota
In Washington County, Minnesota, the typical homeowner pays $4,012 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $400,900. 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 Washington County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $4,012 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Washington County, and $400,900 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 Washington County is 1.00% (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.
Washington County by the numbers
| Measure | Washington County | Minnesota | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $4,012 | $3,184 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $400,900 | $305,500 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.00% | 1.04% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $334 | $265 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Washington County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Minnesota: #4 of 87 counties
- Median home value rank in Minnesota: #2 of 87
- Population rank in Minnesota: #5 of 87 (272,298 residents)
- Population density rank: #5 of 87 (708 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Minnesota: #84 of 87 (384 sq mi, 0.5% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $334; per $1,000 of home value: $1.00
How Washington County compares
Of the 87 Minnesota counties with published data, 3 have a higher median property tax bill than Washington County's $4,012, putting the county at #4 in the state. Its bill is about 26% higher than the state median of $3,184 and about 35% 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 1.00%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #2 within Minnesota.
Some extra context for Washington County: the median bill works out to about $334 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,001 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 272,298 people — the #5 most populous county in Minnesota, spread over 384 square miles, a density of about 708 people per square mile. Its median home value, $400,900, ranks #2 among the state's 87 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 225 record a higher median tax bill than Washington County — it sits in the top 7% nationally. The county holds roughly 4.8% of Minnesota's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $400,900 versus $305,500), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.00% adds up to about 10.01% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Traverse County, medians $1,070 — $2,942 less than Washington County per year.
Counties nearest Washington County in the Minnesota ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin County, MN | $4,337 | $376,500 | 1.15% |
| Scott County, MN | $4,195 | $393,500 | 1.07% |
| Ramsey County, MN | $3,767 | $304,900 | 1.24% |
| Chisago County, MN | $3,668 | $326,600 | 1.12% |
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 1.00%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $1,001 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $4,004. 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 Washington County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Washington 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Washington County, Minnesota?
The median real estate tax paid in Washington County, Minnesota is $4,012 per year, on a median home value of $400,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Washington County, Minnesota?
The derived effective rate is 1.00% — the median bill ($4,012) expressed as a share of the median home value ($400,900). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Washington County compare with the rest of Minnesota?
By median taxes paid, Washington County stands at #4 among the 87 Minnesota counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $4,012 median bill is about 26% higher than the state median ($3,184), and 3 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Washington County, Minnesota?
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 Washington County is $4,012 of tax on a $400,900 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Washington County, Minnesota?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Washington 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.