Property Tax in Galveston County, Texas
Homeowners in Galveston County, Texas pay a median of $4,238 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $284,900. 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 Galveston County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $4,238 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Galveston County, and $284,900 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 Galveston County is 1.49% (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.
Galveston County by the numbers
| Measure | Galveston County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $4,238 | $4,111 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $284,900 | $260,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.49% | 1.58% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $353 | $343 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Galveston County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Texas: #22 of 250 counties
- Median home value rank in Texas: #25 of 250
- Population rank in Texas: #16 of 250 (354,721 residents)
- Population density rank: #9 of 250 (935 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Texas: #240 of 250 (379 sq mi, 0.1% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $353; per $1,000 of home value: $1.49
How Galveston County compares
The median tax bill in Galveston County is about 3% higher than the state median ($4,111 for Texas) and about 43% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #22 out of 250 Texas counties with published Census data — 21 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. Galveston County's derived rate of 1.49% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Galveston County: the median bill works out to about $353 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,488 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 354,721 people — the #16 most populous county in Texas, spread over 379 square miles, a density of about 935 people per square mile. Its median home value, $284,900, ranks #25 among the state's 250 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 193 record a higher median tax bill than Galveston County — it sits in the top 6% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.2% of Texas's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $284,900 versus $260,400), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.49% adds up to about 14.88% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Crockett County, medians $466 — $3,772 less than Galveston County per year.
Counties nearest Galveston County in the Texas ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County, TX | $4,382 | $255,000 | 1.72% |
| Guadalupe County, TX | $4,270 | $285,900 | 1.49% |
| Blanco County, TX | $4,134 | $396,200 | 1.04% |
| Bastrop County, TX | $4,077 | $269,500 | 1.51% |
How the tax is worked out
The bill is built in stages. First the assessor puts a market value on the property. Exemptions — a homestead exemption above all — then reduce the taxable amount. Finally the combined local rate is applied. To see the scale: at the county's derived rate of 1.49%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $1,488 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $5,952. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Checking your assessment in Galveston County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Galveston County assessor: wrong square footage, an extra room, or a missing homestead exemption are common and fixable. Next, line your assessed value up against recent sales of genuinely similar homes nearby. Many disputes end at an informal conversation with the assessor's office; if yours does not, file the formal appeal with the review board named on your notice before its deadline, evidence attached, and keep paying the bill in the meantime so penalties do not build up.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Galveston County, Texas?
The median real estate tax paid in Galveston County, Texas is $4,238 per year, on a median home value of $284,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Galveston County, Texas?
Dividing Galveston County's median tax bill ($4,238) by its median home value ($284,900) gives a derived effective rate of 1.49%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Galveston County compare with the rest of Texas?
By median taxes paid, Galveston County stands at #22 among the 250 Texas counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $4,238 median bill is about 3% higher than the state median ($4,111), and 21 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Galveston 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 Galveston County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $4,238 on a median home value of $284,900.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Galveston County, Texas?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Galveston 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.