Property Tax in Pennington County, South Dakota
In Pennington County, South Dakota, the typical homeowner pays $3,049 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $270,400. 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 Pennington County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $3,049 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Pennington County, and $270,400 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 Pennington County is 1.13% (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 Pennington County
| Measure | Pennington County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $3,049 |
| Median home value | $270,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.13% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $254 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $1,128 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $4,512 |
For context, the South Dakota medians are $2,590 of tax on $236,800 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Pennington County at a glance
- Median tax rank in South Dakota: #3 of 65 counties
- Median home value rank in South Dakota: #5 of 65
- Population rank in South Dakota: #2 of 65 (112,081 residents)
- Population density rank: #7 of 65 (40 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in South Dakota: #3 of 65 (2,776 sq mi, 3.8% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $254; per $1,000 of home value: $1.13
How Pennington County compares
The median tax bill in Pennington County is about 18% higher than the state median ($2,590 for South Dakota) and about the same as the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #3 out of 65 South Dakota counties with published Census data — 2 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. Pennington County's derived rate of 1.13% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Pennington County: the median bill works out to about $254 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,128 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 112,081 people — the #2 most populous county in South Dakota, spread over 2,776 square miles, a density of about 40 people per square mile. Its median home value, $270,400, ranks #5 among the state's 65 counties with data.
Nationally, Pennington County's median bill of $3,049 ranks #429 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 14% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 12.5% of South Dakota'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 11.28% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Pennington County to the most expensive county, Lincoln County ($3,822), is $773 a year.
Counties nearest Pennington County in the South Dakota ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, SD | $3,822 | $323,500 | 1.18% |
| Minnehaha County, SD | $3,090 | $266,600 | 1.16% |
| Union County, SD | $2,997 | $269,500 | 1.11% |
| Clay County, SD | $2,879 | $221,800 | 1.30% |
Pennington County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Pennington County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 112,081 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Pennington County's median bill of $3,049 is the highest.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Androscoggin County, ME | 112,323 | $2,913 | $232,000 | 1.26% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 112,141 | $1,435 | $180,700 | 0.79% |
| Delaware County, IN | 112,109 | $997 | $127,600 | 0.78% |
| Craighead County, AR | 112,097 | $1,084 | $198,700 | 0.55% |
| Douglas County, OR | 111,807 | $1,869 | $283,200 | 0.66% |
| Hanover County, VA | 111,652 | $2,506 | $372,700 | 0.67% |
| Cowlitz County, WA | 111,539 | $2,988 | $367,400 | 0.81% |
| Hardin County, KY | 111,452 | $1,451 | $205,900 | 0.70% |
The closest population match is Craighead County, Arkansas (112,097 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,084 on a median home value of $198,700 — $1,965 more than Pennington County pays.
Pennington County's nearest population neighbours within South Dakota are Minnehaha County (200,689 residents, median tax $3,090 on a median value of $266,600); Lincoln County (68,286 residents, median tax $3,822 on a median value of $323,500); Brown County (38,079 residents, median tax $2,553 on a median value of $212,900). 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
Think of the final bill as three ingredients: the assessed value of the property, the exemptions subtracted from it, and the combined rate of every district the property sits in. Pennington County's medians imply a derived rate of 1.13%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $4,512 a year, or around $376 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Pennington County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.13% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Pennington County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.09% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,692 | $141 |
| $250,000 | $2,820 | $235 |
| $350,000 | $3,948 | $329 |
| $500,000 | $5,640 | $470 |
| $750,000 | $8,460 | $705 |
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 Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Pennington County, South Dakota?
The median real estate tax paid in Pennington County, South Dakota is $3,049 per year, on a median home value of $270,400 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Pennington County, South Dakota?
Dividing Pennington County's median tax bill ($3,049) by its median home value ($270,400) gives a derived effective rate of 1.13%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Pennington County compare with the rest of South Dakota?
By median taxes paid, Pennington County stands at #3 among the 65 South Dakota counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $3,049 median bill is about 18% higher than the state median ($2,590), and 2 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Pennington County, South Dakota?
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 Pennington County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $3,049 on a median home value of $270,400.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Pennington County, South Dakota?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Pennington 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.