County tax profile · 2026 · Census ACS + IRS data

Property Tax & Income in Douglas County, South Dakota

Douglas County has an effective property tax rate of 0.99%. On the median home value of $166,900, that's roughly $1,653 per year. Median household income is $86,442.

Effective Property Tax Rate1
0.99%
median tax $1,653 ÷ median home $166,900
Median Home Value1
$166,900
owner-occupied
Median Household Income1
$86,442
per-capita $43,158
Est. Annual Tax on Median Home1
$1,653
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.

MetricDouglas CountySouth Dakota (state context)
Effective property tax rate10.99%1.01%
Median home value1$166,900
State income tax3No state income taxNo state income tax
State sales tax36.11% combined6.11% 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 Douglas County, SD

Property taxes in Douglas County, South Dakota run at an effective rate of 0.990%, which sits just under the statewide median of 1.014% and ranks 37th among the state's 66 counties. That middle-of-the-pack position signals a county that neither leads nor lags on tax burden. The gap with the national median of 0.794% is wider, though, meaning homeowners here pay proportionally more than the average American. On a median home value of $166,900, the annual real-estate tax bill comes to $1,653. With median household income at $86,442 and per-capita income at $43,158, that bill absorbs a comparatively contained share of local earnings. Communities such as Parkston, Harrison, and New Holland anchor the county, and the figures point to a place where property taxes track close to South Dakota norms while exceeding the national baseline.

Frequently asked questions

What is the property tax rate in Douglas County, SD?
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 ($166,900), the estimated annual bill is about $1,653.
Is Douglas County's rate high or low?
Compare it to the state median of 1.01% 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 Douglas 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 Douglas 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.