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County tax profile · 2026 · Census ACS + IRS data

Property Tax & Income in Cherokee County, Iowa

Cherokee County has an effective property tax rate of 0.99%. On the median home value of $158,700, that's roughly $1,569 per year. Median household income is $71,269.

Effective Property Tax Rate1
0.99%
median tax $1,569 ÷ median home $158,700
Median Home Value1
$158,700
owner-occupied
Median Household Income1
$71,269
per-capita $41,258
Est. Annual Tax on Median Home1
$1,569
at 0.99% effective rate

What you'll pay, at a glance

Property taxes are the largest local tax most homeowners pay. The effective rate measures the real tax bill as a share of home value — a more useful number than the nominal “mill rate,” because assessment practices vary county to county.

MetricCherokee CountyIowa (state context)
Effective property tax rate10.99%1.32%
Median home value1$158,700—
State income tax3top rate 3.80%top rate 3.80%
State sales tax36.94% combined6.94% combined

How this is calculated

The effective property tax rate is the median real-estate tax bill divided by the median home value — both for owner-occupied homes, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-year estimates)1. Median income is also from the ACS1. Federal and state income-tax figures use IRS2 and Tax Foundation3 data.

About Cherokee County, IA

Cherokee County's effective property tax rate of 0.989% sits well below Iowa's statewide median of 1.319%, and the county ranks 96th out of 99 on that measure, meaning only a handful of Iowa counties levy a lighter rate. Compared with the national median of 0.794%, however, Cherokee County runs slightly higher. A median home value of $158,700 generates an annual real-estate tax bill of about $1,569, set against a median household income of $71,269 and per-capita income of $41,258. Cherokee, the largest town in the county, anchors a largely rural area where property taxes take a smaller share of home value than in most of the state. That gap against Iowa's norm signals a comparatively restrained local levy, though the national picture shows the county is not among the country's cheapest places to own property.

Frequently asked questions

What is the property tax rate in Cherokee County, IA?
The effective rate is 0.99% — meaning the median tax bill equals about 0.99% of the median home value.
How much are property taxes on a median home?
On the median home ($158,700), the estimated annual bill is about $1,569.
Is Cherokee County's rate high or low?
Compare it to the state median of 1.32% and the national average near 1.1%.
How does the effective rate differ from my mill rate?
A mill rate is the nominal levy per $1,000 of assessed value. The effective rate reflects what you actually pay after exemptions and assessments — it's the median tax bill as a share of median home value, so it better predicts your real cost.
Will a reassessment raise my tax bill?
Not necessarily. If your home's assessed value rises, your bill can go up, but only if the mill rate and exemptions stay flat. Contact the Cherokee County assessor's office to review your current assessment.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment?
Yes. Most counties allow an appeal when you believe the assessed value exceeds the market value. File with the Cherokee County assessor within the local deadline, typically with comparable sales as evidence.
Sources
[1] U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2023) — Median home value (B25077), median real-estate taxes (B25103), median household income (B19013), per-capita income (B19301).
[2] IRS — Statistics of Income — County income, AGI, and real-estate taxes paid.
[3] Tax Foundation — State income, sales, corporate, and estate/inheritance tax rates.