Property Tax in Pierce County, Washington
Homeowners in Pierce County, Washington pay a median of $4,555 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $484,400. 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 Pierce County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Pierce County pay more than $4,555, and half pay less. Your own bill is set by your home's assessed value, the exemptions you qualify for, and the local taxing districts your property sits in — so individual bills vary widely around the median.
Dividing the median tax by the median home value gives a derived effective rate of 0.94% for Pierce County. It is an estimate built from two survey medians, not the county's official rate, but it is a fair way to compare the local tax burden with other counties where home values are very different.
Pierce County by the numbers
| Measure | Pierce County | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $4,555 | $4,361 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $484,400 | $519,800 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.94% | 0.84% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $380 | $363 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Pierce County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Washington: #3 of 39 counties
- Median home value rank in Washington: #10 of 39
- Population rank in Washington: #2 of 39 (924,106 residents)
- Population density rank: #4 of 39 (554 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Washington: #23 of 39 (1,668 sq mi, 2.5% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $380; per $1,000 of home value: $0.94
How Pierce County compares
Of the 39 Washington counties with published data, 2 have a higher median property tax bill than Pierce County's $4,555, putting the county at #3 in the state. Its bill is about 4% higher than the state median of $4,361 and about 53% 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 0.94%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #10 within Washington.
Some extra context for Pierce County: the median bill works out to about $380 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $940 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 924,106 people — the #2 most populous county in Washington, spread over 1,668 square miles, a density of about 554 people per square mile. Its median home value, $484,400, ranks #10 among the state's 39 counties with data.
Nationally, Pierce County's median bill of $4,555 ranks #158 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 5% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 11.9% of Washington's population, its median home value is about 7% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 9.40% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Pierce County to the most expensive county, King County ($6,785), is $2,230 a year.
Counties nearest Pierce County in the Washington ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| King County, WA | $6,785 | $811,200 | 0.84% |
| Snohomish County, WA | $5,121 | $644,600 | 0.79% |
| San Juan County, WA | $4,131 | $726,500 | 0.57% |
| Clark County, WA | $4,080 | $487,900 | 0.84% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Pierce County's derived rate of 0.94%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $3,760 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 Pierce County
Believe your assessment is too high? The practical order of attack is: obtain your record card and audit it line by line; collect comparable recent sales in Pierce County; ask the assessor's office to correct anything plainly wrong; and, if the value still seems off, lodge a formal appeal ahead of the deadline printed on your assessment notice. Windows are short — often 30 to 90 days — and late appeals are usually rejected outright, however strong the case.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Pierce County, Washington?
The median real estate tax paid in Pierce County, Washington is $4,555 per year, on a median home value of $484,400 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Pierce County, Washington?
On a derived basis, 0.94%: the county's median tax bill of $4,555 divided by its median home value of $484,400. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Pierce County compare with the rest of Washington?
By median taxes paid, Pierce County stands at #3 among the 39 Washington counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $4,555 median bill is about 4% higher than the state median ($4,361), and 2 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Pierce 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 Pierce County is $4,555 of tax on a $484,400 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Pierce County, Washington?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Pierce 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.