Property Tax in Chautauqua County, New York
In Chautauqua County, New York, the typical homeowner pays $2,846 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $119,300. 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 Chautauqua County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $2,846 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Chautauqua County, and $119,300 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 Chautauqua County is 2.39% (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.
Chautauqua County by the numbers
| Measure | Chautauqua County | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $2,846 | $6,450 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $119,300 | $403,000 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 2.39% | 1.60% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $237 | $538 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Chautauqua County at a glance
- Median tax rank in New York: #58 of 62 counties
- Median home value rank in New York: #60 of 62
- Population rank in New York: #23 of 62 (126,329 residents)
- Population density rank: #30 of 62 (119 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in New York: #13 of 62 (1,060 sq mi, 2.3% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $237; per $1,000 of home value: $2.39
How Chautauqua County compares
Set against its state, Chautauqua County's median bill of $2,846 is about 56% lower than the New York median ($6,450). Against the country as a whole it is about 4% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #58 of 62 New York counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Chautauqua County's median home, at $119,300, ranks #60 by value in New York, while its derived rate of 2.39% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Chautauqua County: the median bill works out to about $237 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $2,386 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 126,329 people — the #23 most populous county in New York, spread over 1,060 square miles, a density of about 119 people per square mile. Its median home value, $119,300, ranks #60 among the state's 62 counties with data.
Nationally, Chautauqua County's median bill of $2,846 ranks #506 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 16% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 0.6% of New York's population, its median home value is about 70% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 23.86% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Chautauqua County to the most expensive county, Nassau County ($10,001), is $7,155 a year.
Counties nearest Chautauqua County in the New York ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany County, NY | $2,881 | $97,900 | 2.94% |
| Jefferson County, NY | $2,851 | $181,000 | 1.57% |
| St. Lawrence County, NY | $2,735 | $119,800 | 2.28% |
| Lewis County, NY | $2,682 | $158,000 | 1.70% |
Chautauqua County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Chautauqua County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Chautauqua County ($2,846) ranks #2 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian County, AR | 128,448 | $1,081 | $166,000 | 0.65% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 128,047 | $3,891 | $283,800 | 1.37% |
| Bonneville County, ID | 127,056 | $1,811 | $327,000 | 0.55% |
| Fayette County, PA | 126,967 | $1,516 | $126,900 | 1.20% |
| Berkeley County, WV | 126,165 | $1,353 | $248,000 | 0.55% |
| Faulkner County, AR | 126,001 | $1,201 | $211,300 | 0.57% |
| Saline County, AR | 125,724 | $1,335 | $211,700 | 0.63% |
| Kennebec County, ME | 125,614 | $2,510 | $219,900 | 1.14% |
The closest population match is Berkeley County, West Virginia (126,165 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,353 on a median home value of $248,000 — $1,493 more than Chautauqua County pays.
Inside New York itself, the counties closest to Chautauqua County in population are Rensselaer County (160,341 residents, median tax $5,357 on a median value of $244,300); Schenectady County (159,603 residents, median tax $5,486 on a median value of $223,100); Oswego County (117,945 residents, median tax $3,595 on a median value of $139,600); Jefferson County (116,130 residents, median tax $2,851 on a median value of $181,000). Same state, same broad tax framework — yet the median bills still differ, because assessed values and the mix of county, municipal and school-district rates are set locally.
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Chautauqua County's derived rate of 2.39%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $9,544 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 Chautauqua County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 2.39% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Chautauqua County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.60% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $3,579 | $298 |
| $250,000 | $5,965 | $497 |
| $350,000 | $8,351 | $696 |
| $500,000 | $11,930 | $994 |
| $750,000 | $17,895 | $1,491 |
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 Chautauqua 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 Chautauqua 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Chautauqua County, New York?
The median real estate tax paid in Chautauqua County, New York is $2,846 per year, on a median home value of $119,300 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Chautauqua County, New York?
Dividing Chautauqua County's median tax bill ($2,846) by its median home value ($119,300) gives a derived effective rate of 2.39%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Chautauqua County compare with the rest of New York?
By median taxes paid, Chautauqua County stands at #58 among the 62 New York counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $2,846 median bill is about 56% lower than the state median ($6,450), and 57 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Chautauqua County, New York?
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 Chautauqua County is $2,846 of tax on a $119,300 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Chautauqua County, New York?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Chautauqua 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.