Property Tax in Johnson County, Texas
The median real estate tax bill in Johnson County, Texas is $3,259 per year, and the median home is worth $254,600. Both figures are the US Census Bureau's survey medians for owner-occupied households (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What the Johnson County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $3,259 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Johnson County, and $254,600 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 Johnson County is 1.28% (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 Johnson County
| Measure | Johnson County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $3,259 |
| Median home value | $254,600 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.28% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $272 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $1,280 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $5,120 |
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.
Johnson County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Texas: #38 of 250 counties
- Median home value rank in Texas: #37 of 250
- Population rank in Texas: #26 of 250 (188,820 residents)
- Population density rank: #25 of 250 (260 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Texas: #208 of 250 (725 sq mi, 0.3% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $272; per $1,000 of home value: $1.28
How Johnson County compares
Set against its state, Johnson County's median bill of $3,259 is about 21% lower than the Texas median ($4,111). Against the country as a whole it is about 10% higher than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #38 of 250 Texas counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Johnson County's median home, at $254,600, ranks #37 by value in Texas, while its derived rate of 1.28% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Johnson County: the median bill works out to about $272 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,280 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 188,820 people — the #26 most populous county in Texas, spread over 725 square miles, a density of about 260 people per square mile. Its median home value, $254,600, ranks #37 among the state's 250 counties with data.
Nationally, Johnson County's median bill of $3,259 ranks #380 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 12% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 0.6% of Texas's population, its median home value is about 2% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 12.80% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Johnson County to the most expensive county, Travis County ($7,487), is $4,228 a year.
Counties nearest Johnson County in the Texas ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chambers County, TX | $3,290 | $289,900 | 1.14% |
| Nueces County, TX | $3,268 | $194,700 | 1.68% |
| Hood County, TX | $3,240 | $281,300 | 1.15% |
| Lubbock County, TX | $3,119 | $199,600 | 1.56% |
Johnson County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Johnson County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 188,820 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Johnson County's median bill of $3,259 is #3 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outagamie County, WI | 191,537 | $3,580 | $244,100 | 1.47% |
| Washington County, UT | 189,827 | $2,076 | $465,600 | 0.45% |
| Cass County, ND | 189,286 | $3,449 | $284,700 | 1.21% |
| Saginaw County, MI | 189,210 | $2,190 | $139,400 | 1.57% |
| DeSoto County, MS | 188,598 | $1,595 | $248,700 | 0.64% |
| Tippecanoe County, IN | 187,399 | $1,355 | $217,600 | 0.62% |
| Boone County, MO | 185,874 | $2,232 | $254,100 | 0.88% |
| Kent County, DE | 185,043 | $1,331 | $290,600 | 0.46% |
The closest population match is DeSoto County, Mississippi (188,598 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,595 on a median home value of $248,700 — $1,664 more than Johnson County pays.
Inside Texas itself, the counties closest to Johnson County in population are Brazos County (237,980 residents, median tax $4,580 on a median value of $279,700); Ellis County (203,927 residents, median tax $4,472 on a median value of $306,400); Guadalupe County (178,368 residents, median tax $4,270 on a median value of $285,900); Comal County (174,552 residents, median tax $4,827 on a median value of $398,800). 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
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 1.28%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $1,280 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $5,120. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Illustrative bills in Johnson County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.28% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Johnson 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 | $1,920 | $160 |
| $250,000 | $3,200 | $267 |
| $350,000 | $4,480 | $373 |
| $500,000 | $6,400 | $533 |
| $750,000 | $9,600 | $800 |
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 Johnson County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Johnson 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 Johnson County, Texas?
The median real estate tax paid in Johnson County, Texas is $3,259 per year, on a median home value of $254,600 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Johnson County, Texas?
The derived effective rate is 1.28% — the median bill ($3,259) expressed as a share of the median home value ($254,600). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Johnson County compare with the rest of Texas?
By median taxes paid, Johnson County stands at #38 among the 250 Texas counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $3,259 median bill is about 21% lower than the state median ($4,111), and 37 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Johnson 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 Johnson County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $3,259 on a median home value of $254,600.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Johnson County, Texas?
Yes — appeals are handled locally. Start with the Johnson County assessor's property record card for your home, correct any factual errors, and back your case with comparable recent sales. Formal appeals go to the review board named on your assessment notice and must be filed by its deadline, typically within 30 to 90 days.