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County tax profile · 2026 · Census ACS + IRS data

Property Tax & Income in Wapello County, Iowa

Wapello County has an effective property tax rate of 1.58%. On the median home value of $125,100, that's roughly $1,974 per year. Median household income is $64,766.

Effective Property Tax Rate1
1.58%
median tax $1,974 ÷ median home $125,100
Median Home Value1
$125,100
owner-occupied
Median Household Income1
$64,766
per-capita $33,358
Est. Annual Tax on Median Home1
$1,974
at 1.58% 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.

MetricWapello CountyIowa (state context)
Effective property tax rate11.58%1.32%
Median home value1$125,100—
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 Wapello County, IA

Wapello County’s effective property tax rate of 1.578% sits well above both the statewide median of 1.319% and the national median of 0.794%. Among Iowa’s 99 counties, it ranks 7th highest, placing it among the state’s more heavily taxed jurisdictions. That gap shows up in real dollars: with a median home value of $125,100, the median annual property tax bill reaches $1,974. Households here earn a median of $64,766, while per-capita income is $33,358, so property taxes claim a meaningful share of local earnings compared with places where rates are lower. Communities such as Agency, Chillicothe, and Kirkville fall within the county, and homeowners in any of them face the same countywide rate structure. Buyers weighing a move to this part of southeastern Iowa should factor the higher-than-average levy into their budgets alongside the area’s housing prices and incomes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the property tax rate in Wapello County, IA?
The effective rate is 1.58% — meaning the median tax bill equals about 1.58% of the median home value.
How much are property taxes on a median home?
On the median home ($125,100), the estimated annual bill is about $1,974.
Is Wapello 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 Wapello 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 Wapello 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.