Property Tax in Portage County, Ohio

What the Portage County numbers mean

Read the two medians together: $2,728 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Portage County, and $210,500 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 Portage County is 1.30% (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.

The key figures for Portage County

For context, the Ohio medians are $2,712 of tax on $199,200 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.

Portage County at a glance

• Median tax rank in Ohio: #20 of 88 counties
• Median home value rank in Ohio: #18 of 88
• Population rank in Ohio: #19 of 88 (161,421 residents)
• Population density rank: #18 of 88 (331 people per square mile)
• Land area rank in Ohio: #30 of 88 (487 sq mi, 1.2% of the combined county land area)
• Median tax as a monthly figure: $227; per $1,000 of home value: $1.30

How Portage County compares

Of the 88 Ohio counties with published data, 19 have a higher median property tax bill than Portage County's $2,728, putting the county at #20 in the state. Its bill is about the same as the state median of $2,712 and about 8% lower 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 1.30%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #18 within Ohio.

Some extra context for Portage County: the median bill works out to about $227 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,296 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 161,421 people — the #19 most populous county in Ohio, spread over 487 square miles, a density of about 331 people per square mile. Its median home value, $210,500, ranks #18 among the state's 88 counties with data.

Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 563 record a higher median tax bill than Portage County — it sits in the top 18% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.4% of Ohio's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $210,500 versus $199,200), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.30% adds up to about 12.96% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Meigs County, medians $1,117 — $1,611 less than Portage County per year.

Counties nearest Portage County in the Ohio ranking

Portage County and its population peers

Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Portage County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Portage County ($2,728) ranks #6 of 9 by median tax paid.

The closest population match is Fairfield County, Ohio (161,289 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $3,123 on a median home value of $272,200 — $395 less than Portage County pays.

Portage County's nearest population neighbours within Ohio are Licking County (180,311 residents, median tax $3,150 on a median value of $250,700); Greene County (168,531 residents, median tax $4,021 on a median value of $238,000); Fairfield County (161,289 residents, median tax $3,123 on a median value of $272,200); Clark County (135,445 residents, median tax $1,943 on a median value of $155,900). 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 Portage County's derived rate of 1.30%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $5,184 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 Portage County at the derived rate

The derived rate of 1.30% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Portage County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.36% and the US figure of 0.98%:

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 Portage County

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 Portage County.
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.

More Ohio counties

• Fairfield County, OH — $3,123
• Greene County, OH — $4,021
• Licking County, OH — $3,150
• Medina County, OH — $3,448
• Clark County, OH — $1,943
• Wood County, OH — $2,911

Frequently asked questions