Property Tax in Brown County, Wisconsin
In Brown County, Wisconsin, the typical homeowner pays $3,593 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $245,900. 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 Brown County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Brown County pay more than $3,593, 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 1.46% for Brown 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.
The key figures for Brown County
| Measure | Brown County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $3,593 |
| Median home value | $245,900 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.46% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $299 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $1,461 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $5,844 |
For context, the Wisconsin medians are $3,746 of tax on $247,400 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Brown County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Wisconsin: #19 of 72 counties
- Median home value rank in Wisconsin: #15 of 72
- Population rank in Wisconsin: #4 of 72 (269,425 residents)
- Population density rank: #5 of 72 (508 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Wisconsin: #56 of 72 (530 sq mi, 1.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $299; per $1,000 of home value: $1.46
How Brown County compares
Set against its state, Brown County's median bill of $3,593 is about 4% lower than the Wisconsin median ($3,746). Against the country as a whole it is about 21% higher than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #19 of 72 Wisconsin counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Brown County's median home, at $245,900, ranks #15 by value in Wisconsin, while its derived rate of 1.46% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Brown County: the median bill works out to about $299 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,461 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 269,425 people — the #4 most populous county in Wisconsin, spread over 530 square miles, a density of about 508 people per square mile. Its median home value, $245,900, ranks #15 among the state's 72 counties with data.
Nationally, Brown County's median bill of $3,593 ranks #292 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 9% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 4.6% of Wisconsin's population, its median home value is about 1% below the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 14.61% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Brown County to the most expensive county, Dane County ($6,276), is $2,683 a year.
Counties nearest Brown County in the Wisconsin ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock County, WI | $3,652 | $215,900 | 1.69% |
| Sauk County, WI | $3,646 | $242,400 | 1.50% |
| Outagamie County, WI | $3,580 | $244,100 | 1.47% |
| Winnebago County, WI | $3,573 | $208,600 | 1.71% |
How the tax is worked out
Think of the final bill as three ingredients: the assessed value of the property, the exemptions subtracted from it, and the combined rate of every district the property sits in. Brown County's medians imply a derived rate of 1.46%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $5,844 a year, or around $487 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Checking your assessment in Brown County
If your bill looks wrong, work through these steps:
1. Get your property record card from the assessor and check the basics — living area, lot size, bedrooms, condition, and any exemptions you should have.
2. Compare your assessed value with recent sale prices of similar homes in Brown County.
3. Talk to the assessor's office informally first; clear errors are often fixed without a hearing.
4. If needed, file a formal appeal with the local review board before the deadline on your assessment notice, with your evidence attached.
5. Keep paying the bill as issued while the appeal runs, unless your notice says otherwise — unpaid taxes accrue penalties regardless of an appeal.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Brown County, Wisconsin?
The median real estate tax paid in Brown County, Wisconsin is $3,593 per year, on a median home value of $245,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Brown County, Wisconsin?
The derived effective rate is 1.46% — the median bill ($3,593) expressed as a share of the median home value ($245,900). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Brown County compare with the rest of Wisconsin?
By median taxes paid, Brown County stands at #19 among the 72 Wisconsin counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $3,593 median bill is about 4% lower than the state median ($3,746), and 18 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Brown County, Wisconsin?
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 Brown County is $3,593 of tax on a $245,900 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Brown County, Wisconsin?
Yes — appeals are handled locally. Start with the Brown 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.