Property Tax in Racine County, Wisconsin
Homeowners in Racine County, Wisconsin pay a median of $4,071 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $239,400. 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 Racine County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $4,071 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Racine County, and $239,400 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 Racine County is 1.70% (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.
Racine County by the numbers
| Measure | Racine County | Wisconsin | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $4,071 | $3,746 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $239,400 | $247,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.70% | 1.51% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $339 | $312 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Racine County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Wisconsin: #8 of 72 counties
- Median home value rank in Wisconsin: #21 of 72
- Population rank in Wisconsin: #5 of 72 (196,888 residents)
- Population density rank: #4 of 72 (592 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Wisconsin: #67 of 72 (332 sq mi, 0.6% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $339; per $1,000 of home value: $1.70
How Racine County compares
The median tax bill in Racine County is about 9% higher than the state median ($3,746 for Wisconsin) and about 37% higher than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #8 out of 72 Wisconsin counties with published Census data — 7 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. Racine County's derived rate of 1.70% sits above the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Racine County: the median bill works out to about $339 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,701 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 196,888 people — the #5 most populous county in Wisconsin, spread over 332 square miles, a density of about 592 people per square mile. Its median home value, $239,400, ranks #21 among the state's 72 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 216 record a higher median tax bill than Racine County — it sits in the top 7% nationally. The county holds roughly 3.3% of Wisconsin's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $239,400 versus $247,400), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.70% adds up to about 17.01% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Iron County, medians $1,777 — $2,294 less than Racine County per year.
Counties nearest Racine County in the Wisconsin ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Croix County, WI | $4,297 | $349,700 | 1.23% |
| Kenosha County, WI | $4,180 | $247,800 | 1.69% |
| Jefferson County, WI | $3,988 | $253,800 | 1.57% |
| Walworth County, WI | $3,964 | $275,900 | 1.44% |
Racine County and its population peers
Population is a useful lens on these figures, so the table below sets Racine 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, Racine County's $4,071 bill is the highest.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha County, SD | 200,689 | $3,090 | $266,600 | 1.16% |
| Sumner County, TN | 200,553 | $1,944 | $364,000 | 0.53% |
| St. Louis County, MN | 200,056 | $2,142 | $208,500 | 1.03% |
| Broome County, NY | 197,738 | $3,824 | $145,100 | 2.63% |
| Butler County, PA | 195,870 | $2,950 | $275,600 | 1.07% |
| Sangamon County, IL | 195,217 | $3,369 | $170,300 | 1.98% |
| Livingston County, MI | 195,143 | $3,269 | $331,100 | 0.99% |
| Charlotte County, FL | 195,083 | $2,581 | $291,000 | 0.89% |
The closest population match is Broome County, New York (197,738 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $3,824 on a median home value of $145,100 — $247 more than Racine County pays.
Staying within Wisconsin, the counties nearest Racine County by population are Waukesha County (409,040 residents, median tax $4,525 on a median value of $373,600); Brown County (269,425 residents, median tax $3,593 on a median value of $245,900); Outagamie County (191,537 residents, median tax $3,580 on a median value of $244,100); Winnebago County (171,357 residents, median tax $3,573 on a median value of $208,600). 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
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. Racine County's medians imply a derived rate of 1.70%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $6,804 a year, or around $567 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Racine County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.70% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Racine 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 | $2,552 | $213 |
| $250,000 | $4,252 | $354 |
| $350,000 | $5,954 | $496 |
| $500,000 | $8,505 | $709 |
| $750,000 | $12,758 | $1,063 |
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 Racine County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Racine 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 Racine County, Wisconsin?
The median real estate tax paid in Racine County, Wisconsin is $4,071 per year, on a median home value of $239,400 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Racine County, Wisconsin?
Dividing Racine County's median tax bill ($4,071) by its median home value ($239,400) gives a derived effective rate of 1.70%. This is an estimate computed from two Census survey medians — it is not the county's official tax rate.
How does Racine County compare with the rest of Wisconsin?
Racine County ranks #8 of 72 Wisconsin counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $4,071 is about 9% higher than the Wisconsin median of $3,746.
How are property taxes calculated in Racine County, Wisconsin?
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 Racine County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $4,071 on a median home value of $239,400.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Racine County, Wisconsin?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Racine 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.