Property Tax in Salt Lake County, Utah
In Salt Lake County, Utah, the typical homeowner pays $2,726 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $484,500. The figures on this page are the Census Bureau's published medians (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023), shown exactly as released.
What the Salt Lake County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Salt Lake County homeowners pay more than $2,726 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 $484,500, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.56%. 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.
Salt Lake County by the numbers
| Measure | Salt Lake County | Utah | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $2,726 | $2,412 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $484,500 | $455,000 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.56% | 0.53% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $227 | $201 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Salt Lake County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Utah: #4 of 29 counties
- Median home value rank in Utah: #5 of 29
- Population rank in Utah: #1 of 29 (1,184,689 residents)
- Population density rank: #1 of 29 (1,574 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Utah: #25 of 29 (752 sq mi, 0.9% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $227; per $1,000 of home value: $0.56
How Salt Lake County compares
Of the 29 Utah counties with published data, 3 have a higher median property tax bill than Salt Lake County's $2,726, putting the county at #4 in the state. Its bill is about 13% higher than the state median of $2,412 and about 8% lower than the national median of $2,969.
Rates and values pull in opposite directions: an expensive housing market can produce big bills at ordinary rates. Here the derived rate is 0.56%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #5 within Utah.
Some extra context for Salt Lake County: the median bill works out to about $227 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $563 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 1,184,689 people — the #1 most populous county in Utah, spread over 752 square miles, a density of about 1,574 people per square mile. Its median home value, $484,500, ranks #5 among the state's 29 counties with data.
Nationally, Salt Lake County's median bill of $2,726 ranks #566 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 18% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 35.6% of Utah's population, its median home value is about 6% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 5.63% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Salt Lake County to the most expensive county, Summit County ($3,469), is $743 a year.
Counties nearest Salt Lake County in the Utah ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, UT | $3,264 | $600,900 | 0.54% |
| Wasatch County, UT | $3,230 | $724,400 | 0.45% |
| Davis County, UT | $2,546 | $470,500 | 0.54% |
| Weber County, UT | $2,415 | $389,200 | 0.62% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Salt Lake County's derived rate of 0.56%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $2,252 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 Salt Lake County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake County, Utah?
The median real estate tax paid in Salt Lake County, Utah is $2,726 per year, on a median home value of $484,500 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Salt Lake County, Utah?
The derived effective rate is 0.56% — the median bill ($2,726) expressed as a share of the median home value ($484,500). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Salt Lake County compare with the rest of Utah?
Salt Lake County ranks #4 of 29 Utah counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $2,726 is about 13% higher than the Utah median of $2,412.
How are property taxes calculated in Salt Lake County, Utah?
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 Salt Lake County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $2,726 on a median home value of $484,500.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Salt Lake County, Utah?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Salt Lake 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.