Property Tax in Jefferson County, Wisconsin
The median real estate tax bill in Jefferson County, Wisconsin is $3,988 per year, and the median home is worth $253,800. 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 Jefferson County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $3,988 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Jefferson County, and $253,800 is the middle home value. Neither figure describes a specific property — together they describe the typical homeowner's situation in the county.
The derived effective rate for Jefferson County is 1.57% (median tax ÷ median value). Treat it as an estimate for comparison only: it comes from survey medians of different households, not from the county's rate schedule.
The key figures for Jefferson County
| Measure | Jefferson County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $3,988 |
| Median home value | $253,800 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.57% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $332 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $1,571 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $6,284 |
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.
Jefferson County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Wisconsin: #9 of 72 counties
- Median home value rank in Wisconsin: #11 of 72
- Population rank in Wisconsin: #20 of 72 (85,867 residents)
- Population density rank: #17 of 72 (154 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Wisconsin: #53 of 72 (556 sq mi, 1.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $332; per $1,000 of home value: $1.57
How Jefferson County compares
The median tax bill in Jefferson County is about 6% higher than the state median ($3,746 for Wisconsin) and about 34% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #9 out of 72 Wisconsin counties with published Census data — 8 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. Jefferson County's derived rate of 1.57% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Jefferson County: the median bill works out to about $332 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,571 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 85,867 people — the #20 most populous county in Wisconsin, spread over 556 square miles, a density of about 154 people per square mile. Its median home value, $253,800, ranks #11 among the state's 72 counties with data.
Nationally, Jefferson County's median bill of $3,988 ranks #228 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 7% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 1.5% of Wisconsin's population, its median home value is about 3% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 15.71% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Jefferson County to the most expensive county, Dane County ($6,276), is $2,288 a year.
Counties nearest Jefferson County in the Wisconsin ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenosha County, WI | $4,180 | $247,800 | 1.69% |
| Racine County, WI | $4,071 | $239,400 | 1.70% |
| Walworth County, WI | $3,964 | $275,900 | 1.44% |
| La Crosse County, WI | $3,963 | $243,200 | 1.63% |
Jefferson County and its population peers
Population is a useful lens on these figures, so the table below sets Jefferson County beside the counties closest to it in population anywhere in the country — communities of a similar scale operating under different state and local tax systems. Ranked by median tax paid within this peer group of 9, Jefferson County's $3,988 bill is #2 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow County, GA | 86,982 | $2,124 | $255,200 | 0.83% |
| Angelina County, TX | 86,791 | $1,872 | $149,800 | 1.25% |
| Island County, WA | 86,747 | $3,765 | $535,300 | 0.70% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 86,382 | $1,609 | $170,100 | 0.95% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 85,423 | $1,983 | $136,700 | 1.45% |
| Newport County, RI | 85,095 | $5,345 | $559,700 | 0.95% |
| Orange County, TX | 84,993 | $2,036 | $163,400 | 1.25% |
| Glynn County, GA | 84,987 | $1,712 | $268,300 | 0.64% |
The closest population match is Lawrence County, Pennsylvania (85,423 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,983 on a median home value of $136,700 — $2,005 more than Jefferson County pays.
Staying within Wisconsin, the counties nearest Jefferson County by population are Ozaukee County (92,345 residents, median tax $4,629 on a median value of $368,900); Dodge County (88,818 residents, median tax $3,395 on a median value of $218,400); Manitowoc County (81,314 residents, median tax $2,660 on a median value of $172,900); Wood County (74,039 residents, median tax $2,629 on a median value of $168,100). The spread in their median bills — all under the same state framework — shows how much of the property tax burden is decided county by county and district by district.
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 1.57%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $1,571 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $6,284. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Illustrative bills in Jefferson County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.57% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Jefferson County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.51% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $2,356 | $196 |
| $250,000 | $3,928 | $327 |
| $350,000 | $5,498 | $458 |
| $500,000 | $7,855 | $655 |
| $750,000 | $11,782 | $982 |
Illustration only: real bills are computed from the assessed value, exemptions, and the combined rates of the property's actual taxing districts.
Checking your assessment in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, Wisconsin?
The median real estate tax paid in Jefferson County, Wisconsin is $3,988 per year, on a median home value of $253,800 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Jefferson County, Wisconsin?
Dividing Jefferson County's median tax bill ($3,988) by its median home value ($253,800) gives a derived effective rate of 1.57%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Jefferson County compare with the rest of Wisconsin?
Jefferson County ranks #9 of 72 Wisconsin counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $3,988 is about 6% higher than the Wisconsin median of $3,746.
How are property taxes calculated in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County is $3,988 of tax on a $253,800 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Jefferson County, Wisconsin?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Jefferson 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.