Property Tax in Bastrop County, Texas
Homeowners in Bastrop County, Texas pay a median of $4,077 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $269,500. Those are the Census Bureau's published medians for the county (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023) — the typical bill and the typical home value for owner-occupied households.
What the Bastrop County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Bastrop County pay more than $4,077, 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 1.51% for Bastrop County. 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.
Bastrop County by the numbers
| Measure | Bastrop County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $4,077 | $4,111 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $269,500 | $260,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.51% | 1.58% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $340 | $343 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Bastrop County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Texas: #24 of 250 counties
- Median home value rank in Texas: #35 of 250
- Population rank in Texas: #42 of 250 (102,370 residents)
- Population density rank: #43 of 250 (115 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Texas: #161 of 250 (888 sq mi, 0.3% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $340; per $1,000 of home value: $1.51
How Bastrop County compares
The median tax bill in Bastrop County is about the same as the state median ($4,111 for Texas) and about 37% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #24 out of 250 Texas counties with published Census data — 23 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. Bastrop County's derived rate of 1.51% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Bastrop County: the median bill works out to about $340 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,513 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 102,370 people — the #42 most populous county in Texas, spread over 888 square miles, a density of about 115 people per square mile. Its median home value, $269,500, ranks #35 among the state's 250 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 214 record a higher median tax bill than Bastrop County — it sits in the top 7% nationally. The county holds roughly 0.3% of Texas's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $269,500 versus $260,400), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.51% adds up to about 15.13% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Crockett County, medians $466 — $3,611 less than Bastrop County per year.
Counties nearest Bastrop County in the Texas ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galveston County, TX | $4,238 | $284,900 | 1.49% |
| Blanco County, TX | $4,134 | $396,200 | 1.04% |
| Waller County, TX | $3,971 | $292,000 | 1.36% |
| Wilson County, TX | $3,726 | $286,300 | 1.30% |
Bastrop County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Bastrop County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Bastrop County ($4,077) ranks #3 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tompkins County, NY | 102,879 | $6,374 | $271,500 | 2.35% |
| Moore County, NC | 102,840 | $1,784 | $315,300 | 0.57% |
| Macon County, IL | 102,591 | $2,560 | $121,800 | 2.10% |
| Nevada County, CA | 102,452 | $4,468 | $602,800 | 0.74% |
| Allen County, OH | 101,685 | $1,782 | $158,400 | 1.12% |
| Columbiana County, OH | 101,203 | $1,488 | $139,100 | 1.07% |
| Craven County, NC | 101,074 | $1,372 | $206,200 | 0.67% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 100,905 | $1,487 | $298,100 | 0.50% |
The closest population match is Nevada County, California (102,452 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $4,468 on a median home value of $602,800 — $391 less than Bastrop County pays.
Inside Texas itself, the counties closest to Bastrop County in population are Potter County (116,634 residents, median tax $2,028 on a median value of $134,900); Hunt County (104,917 residents, median tax $2,736 on a median value of $210,900); Liberty County (97,993 residents, median tax $2,091 on a median value of $167,100); Bowie County (92,321 residents, median tax $2,091 on a median value of $161,300). 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 Bastrop County's derived rate of 1.51%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $6,052 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 Bastrop County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.51% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Bastrop County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.58% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $2,269 | $189 |
| $250,000 | $3,782 | $315 |
| $350,000 | $5,296 | $441 |
| $500,000 | $7,565 | $630 |
| $750,000 | $11,348 | $946 |
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 Bastrop 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 Bastrop 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 Bastrop County, Texas?
The median real estate tax paid in Bastrop County, Texas is $4,077 per year, on a median home value of $269,500 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Bastrop County, Texas?
On a derived basis, 1.51%: the county's median tax bill of $4,077 divided by its median home value of $269,500. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Bastrop County compare with the rest of Texas?
By median taxes paid, Bastrop County stands at #24 among the 250 Texas counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $4,077 median bill is about the same as the state median ($4,111), and 23 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Bastrop County, Texas?
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 Bastrop County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $4,077 on a median home value of $269,500.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Bastrop County, Texas?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Bastrop 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.