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County tax profile · 2026 · Census ACS + IRS data

Property Tax & Income in Cowley County, Kansas

Cowley County has an effective property tax rate of 1.65%. On the median home value of $120,900, that's roughly $1,999 per year. Median household income is $57,878.

Effective Property Tax Rate1
1.65%
median tax $1,999 ÷ median home $120,900
Median Home Value1
$120,900
owner-occupied
Median Household Income1
$57,878
per-capita $32,882
Est. Annual Tax on Median Home1
$1,999
at 1.65% 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.

MetricCowley CountyKansas (state context)
Effective property tax rate11.65%1.51%
Median home value1$120,900—
State income tax3top rate 5.58%top rate 5.58%
State sales tax38.71% combined8.71% 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 Cowley County, KS

Cowley County's effective property tax rate of 1.653% sits above Kansas's statewide median of 1.506%, placing it 35th among the state's 105 counties. That gap is narrow enough that homeowners in Arkansas City and smaller communities like Burden and Cambridge pay somewhat more than the state norm, but not dramatically so. The contrast with the national median of 0.794% is far sharper: this county's rate is more than double what a typical American community levies. On a median home value of $120,900, that translates into an annual tax bill near $1,999, against a median household income of $57,878. With per-capita income at $32,882, property taxes here claim a noticeable share of local earnings, a signal that public services in this part of southern Kansas lean heavily on the property tax base.

Frequently asked questions

What is the property tax rate in Cowley County, KS?
The effective rate is 1.65% — meaning the median tax bill equals about 1.65% of the median home value.
How much are property taxes on a median home?
On the median home ($120,900), the estimated annual bill is about $1,999.
Is Cowley County's rate high or low?
Compare it to the state median of 1.51% 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 Cowley 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 Cowley 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.