Property Tax in Clark County, Washington
The median real estate tax bill in Clark County, Washington is $4,080 per year, and the median home is worth $487,900. 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 Clark County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Clark County homeowners pay more than $4,080 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 $487,900, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.84%. 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.
The key figures for Clark County
| Measure | Clark County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $4,080 |
| Median home value | $487,900 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.84% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $340 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $836 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $3,344 |
For context, the Washington medians are $4,361 of tax on $519,800 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Clark County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Washington: #5 of 39 counties
- Median home value rank in Washington: #8 of 39
- Population rank in Washington: #5 of 39 (510,516 residents)
- Population density rank: #2 of 39 (812 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Washington: #35 of 39 (628 sq mi, 0.9% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $340; per $1,000 of home value: $0.84
How Clark County compares
Of the 39 Washington counties with published data, 4 have a higher median property tax bill than Clark County's $4,080, putting the county at #5 in the state. Its bill is about 6% lower than the state median of $4,361 and about 37% higher 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 0.84%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #8 within Washington.
Some extra context for Clark County: the median bill works out to about $340 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $836 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 510,516 people — the #5 most populous county in Washington, spread over 628 square miles, a density of about 812 people per square mile. Its median home value, $487,900, ranks #8 among the state's 39 counties with data.
Nationally, Clark County's median bill of $4,080 ranks #214 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 7% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 6.6% of Washington's population, its median home value is about 6% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 8.36% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Clark County to the most expensive county, King County ($6,785), is $2,705 a year.
Counties nearest Clark County in the Washington ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce County, WA | $4,555 | $484,400 | 0.94% |
| San Juan County, WA | $4,131 | $726,500 | 0.57% |
| Thurston County, WA | $4,043 | $451,500 | 0.90% |
| Kitsap County, WA | $4,030 | $505,700 | 0.80% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Clark County's derived rate of 0.84%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $3,344 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 Clark County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Clark 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 Clark County, Washington?
The median real estate tax paid in Clark County, Washington is $4,080 per year, on a median home value of $487,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Clark County, Washington?
Dividing Clark County's median tax bill ($4,080) by its median home value ($487,900) gives a derived effective rate of 0.84%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Clark County compare with the rest of Washington?
Clark County ranks #5 of 39 Washington counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $4,080 is about 6% lower than the Washington median of $4,361.
How are property taxes calculated in Clark County, Washington?
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 Clark County is $4,080 of tax on a $487,900 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Clark County, Washington?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Clark County assessor, verify its details, and compare the assessed value against similar homes that sold recently. If the value still seems too high, submit a formal appeal to the board named on your notice before the stated deadline — usually a 30-to-90-day window.