Property Tax in McLennan County, Texas
The median real estate tax bill in McLennan County, Texas is $3,347 per year, and the median home is worth $219,200. 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 McLennan County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of McLennan County homeowners pay more than $3,347 a year and half pay less. The exact bill for any one home depends on its assessed value, exemptions, and which school, municipal and special districts cover it.
Set against the median home value of $219,200, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 1.53%. That rate is an estimate computed from the two medians — no county publishes a rate calculated this way — but it adjusts for home prices, which makes comparisons between counties more meaningful.
McLennan County by the numbers
| Measure | McLennan County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $3,347 | $4,111 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $219,200 | $260,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.53% | 1.58% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $279 | $343 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
McLennan County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Texas: #33 of 250 counties
- Median home value rank in Texas: #55 of 250
- Population rank in Texas: #20 of 250 (263,608 residents)
- Population density rank: #28 of 250 (254 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Texas: #66 of 250 (1,036 sq mi, 0.4% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $279; per $1,000 of home value: $1.53
How McLennan County compares
The median tax bill in McLennan County is about 19% lower than the state median ($4,111 for Texas) and about 13% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #33 out of 250 Texas counties with published Census data — 32 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. McLennan County's derived rate of 1.53% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for McLennan County: the median bill works out to about $279 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,527 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 263,608 people — the #20 most populous county in Texas, spread over 1,036 square miles, a density of about 254 people per square mile. Its median home value, $219,200, ranks #55 among the state's 250 counties with data.
Nationally, McLennan County's median bill of $3,347 ranks #353 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 11% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 0.9% of Texas's population, its median home value is about 16% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 15.27% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from McLennan County to the most expensive county, Travis County ($7,487), is $4,140 a year.
Counties nearest McLennan County in the Texas ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin County, TX | $3,464 | $270,900 | 1.28% |
| Bell County, TX | $3,409 | $221,100 | 1.54% |
| Webb County, TX | $3,312 | $178,900 | 1.85% |
| Wise County, TX | $3,293 | $277,200 | 1.19% |
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 1.53%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $1,527 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $6,108. 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 McLennan County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the McLennan 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 McLennan County, Texas?
The median real estate tax paid in McLennan County, Texas is $3,347 per year, on a median home value of $219,200 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in McLennan County, Texas?
Dividing McLennan County's median tax bill ($3,347) by its median home value ($219,200) gives a derived effective rate of 1.53%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does McLennan County compare with the rest of Texas?
By median taxes paid, McLennan County stands at #33 among the 250 Texas counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $3,347 median bill is about 19% lower than the state median ($4,111), and 32 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in McLennan 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 McLennan County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $3,347 on a median home value of $219,200.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in McLennan County, Texas?
Yes. Request your property record card from the McLennan 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.