Property Tax in Denton County, Texas
Homeowners in Denton County, Texas pay a median of $6,943 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $403,400. 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 Denton County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Denton County pay more than $6,943, 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 1.72% for Denton 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.
The key figures for Denton County
| Measure | Denton County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $6,943 |
| Median home value | $403,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.72% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $579 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $1,721 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $6,884 |
For context, the Texas medians are $4,111 of tax on $260,400 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Denton County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Texas: #5 of 250 counties
- Median home value rank in Texas: #6 of 250
- Population rank in Texas: #7 of 250 (945,644 residents)
- Population density rank: #7 of 250 (1,076 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Texas: #169 of 250 (878 sq mi, 0.3% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $579; per $1,000 of home value: $1.72
How Denton County compares
Set against its state, Denton County's median bill of $6,943 is about 69% higher than the Texas median ($4,111). Against the country as a whole it is about 134% higher than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #5 of 250 Texas counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Denton County's median home, at $403,400, ranks #6 by value in Texas, while its derived rate of 1.72% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Denton County: the median bill works out to about $579 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,721 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 945,644 people — the #7 most populous county in Texas, spread over 878 square miles, a density of about 1,076 people per square mile. Its median home value, $403,400, ranks #6 among the state's 250 counties with data.
Nationally, Denton County's median bill of $6,943 ranks #48 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 2% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 3.2% of Texas's population, its median home value is about 55% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 17.21% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Denton County to the most expensive county, Travis County ($7,487), is $544 a year.
Counties nearest Denton County in the Texas ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamson County, TX | $7,079 | $414,600 | 1.71% |
| Fort Bend County, TX | $6,965 | $350,300 | 1.99% |
| Hays County, TX | $6,420 | $371,400 | 1.73% |
| Rockwall County, TX | $6,341 | $386,000 | 1.64% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Denton County's derived rate of 1.72%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $6,884 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.
Checking your assessment in Denton 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 Denton 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Denton County, Texas?
The median real estate tax paid in Denton County, Texas is $6,943 per year, on a median home value of $403,400 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Denton County, Texas?
The derived effective rate is 1.72% — the median bill ($6,943) expressed as a share of the median home value ($403,400). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Denton County compare with the rest of Texas?
Denton County ranks #5 of 250 Texas counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $6,943 is about 69% higher than the Texas median of $4,111.
How are property taxes calculated in Denton County, Texas?
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 Denton County is $6,943 of tax on a $403,400 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Denton County, Texas?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Denton 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.