California property tax by county
The median California homeowner pays $4,926 a year in property tax on a home worth $695,400, an effective rate of 0.71%. That ranks California #35 of 51 states, against a national 0.98%.
Why the county matters more than the state
Kern County charges an effective 0.91% and Trinity County 0.54%, a spread of 0.37 points inside one state. Property tax in the United States is set by counties, cities, school districts and special districts, not by states. A statewide figure is a weighted average of thousands of separate decisions, and it can be a poor guide to any particular address.
California sits 0.27 points below the national effective rate. A low rate is not the same as a low bill: on an expensive home it can still produce a large one. House prices in the state moved -0.3% over the year to 2026 Q2, which changes the denominator of this rate over time.
Every county ranked
| # | County | Rate | Median bill | Home value | Rent | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kern County | 0.91% | $2,833 | $310,600 | $1,220 | $67,660 |
| 2 | Placer County | 0.85% | $5,600 | $658,800 | $1,991 | $114,678 |
| 3 | Imperial County | 0.84% | $2,348 | $279,500 | $1,012 | $56,393 |
| 4 | Contra Costa County | 0.83% | $6,903 | $830,800 | $2,322 | $125,727 |
| 5 | Riverside County | 0.82% | $4,189 | $510,300 | $1,814 | $89,672 |
| 6 | San Benito County | 0.81% | $6,078 | $751,500 | $1,922 | $108,289 |
| 7 | Sutter County | 0.78% | $3,111 | $399,400 | $1,364 | $75,450 |
| 8 | Yolo County | 0.77% | $4,567 | $593,800 | $1,757 | $88,818 |
| 9 | Mono County | 0.77% | $3,936 | $514,300 | $1,593 | $86,953 |
| 10 | Alameda County | 0.76% | $8,061 | $1,057,400 | $2,318 | $126,240 |
| 11 | Sacramento County | 0.76% | $3,768 | $498,900 | $1,702 | $88,724 |
| 12 | San Joaquin County | 0.76% | $3,782 | $494,500 | $1,633 | $88,531 |
| 13 | Fresno County | 0.75% | $2,704 | $362,600 | $1,300 | $71,434 |
| 14 | Solano County | 0.75% | $4,408 | $589,600 | $2,088 | $99,994 |
| 15 | Kings County | 0.75% | $2,295 | $305,700 | $1,228 | $68,750 |
| 16 | Yuba County | 0.75% | $2,865 | $380,000 | $1,209 | $73,313 |
| 17 | Nevada County | 0.74% | $4,468 | $602,800 | $1,635 | $84,905 |
| 18 | Tulare County | 0.73% | $2,213 | $303,000 | $1,206 | $69,489 |
| 19 | Sonoma County | 0.72% | $5,580 | $779,000 | $2,093 | $102,840 |
| 20 | Marin County | 0.72% | $10,001 | $1,390,000 | $2,584 | $142,785 |
| 21 | Lake County | 0.72% | $2,295 | $316,800 | $1,292 | $58,738 |
| 22 | Lassen County | 0.72% | $1,868 | $259,500 | $1,043 | $64,395 |
| 23 | Plumas County | 0.72% | $2,360 | $327,400 | $1,034 | $64,946 |
| 24 | Santa Clara County | 0.71% | $9,766 | $1,382,800 | $2,814 | $159,674 |
| 25 | Stanislaus County | 0.71% | $3,025 | $426,600 | $1,528 | $79,661 |
| 26 | Calaveras County | 0.71% | $3,154 | $441,800 | $1,615 | $79,877 |
| 27 | Inyo County | 0.71% | $2,392 | $338,400 | $1,140 | $72,432 |
| 28 | San Diego County | 0.70% | $5,542 | $791,600 | $2,154 | $102,285 |
| 29 | San Bernardino County | 0.70% | $3,346 | $475,000 | $1,706 | $82,184 |
| 30 | San Luis Obispo County | 0.70% | $5,475 | $777,200 | $1,899 | $93,398 |
| 31 | El Dorado County | 0.70% | $4,510 | $640,500 | $1,626 | $106,190 |
| 32 | Shasta County | 0.70% | $2,442 | $347,200 | $1,267 | $71,931 |
| 33 | Madera County | 0.70% | $2,575 | $367,700 | $1,307 | $75,496 |
| 34 | Napa County | 0.70% | $5,840 | $838,800 | $2,141 | $108,970 |
| 35 | Amador County | 0.70% | $2,939 | $422,800 | $1,380 | $81,526 |
| 36 | Los Angeles County | 0.69% | $5,438 | $783,300 | $1,893 | $87,760 |
| 37 | Ventura County | 0.69% | $5,326 | $768,400 | $2,248 | $107,327 |
| 38 | Butte County | 0.69% | $2,819 | $408,700 | $1,369 | $68,574 |
| 39 | Mendocino County | 0.69% | $3,376 | $486,000 | $1,325 | $64,688 |
| 40 | San Francisco County | 0.68% | $9,412 | $1,380,500 | $2,419 | $141,446 |
| 41 | Merced County | 0.68% | $2,487 | $368,400 | $1,284 | $65,044 |
| 42 | Mariposa County | 0.68% | $2,437 | $358,000 | $1,268 | $65,378 |
| 43 | Modoc County | 0.68% | $1,445 | $212,000 | $818 | $56,648 |
| 44 | Orange County | 0.67% | $6,096 | $915,500 | $2,352 | $113,702 |
| 45 | Tuolumne County | 0.67% | $2,737 | $406,200 | $1,247 | $72,259 |
| 46 | Santa Barbara County | 0.66% | $4,870 | $735,700 | $2,050 | $95,977 |
| 47 | Monterey County | 0.66% | $4,782 | $723,100 | $1,995 | $94,486 |
| 48 | Siskiyou County | 0.66% | $1,880 | $284,500 | $1,043 | $55,499 |
| 49 | Colusa County | 0.66% | $2,481 | $375,100 | $1,139 | $75,149 |
| 50 | Humboldt County | 0.65% | $2,731 | $418,800 | $1,249 | $61,135 |
| 51 | Glenn County | 0.65% | $2,190 | $338,400 | $1,103 | $70,487 |
| 52 | Tehama County | 0.63% | $1,996 | $315,600 | $1,159 | $61,834 |
| 53 | Santa Cruz County | 0.62% | $6,305 | $1,015,200 | $2,172 | $109,266 |
| 54 | San Mateo County | 0.61% | $9,167 | $1,494,500 | $2,893 | $156,000 |
| 55 | Del Norte County | 0.59% | $1,872 | $319,600 | $1,182 | $66,780 |
| 56 | Trinity County | 0.54% | $1,772 | $329,000 | $922 | $53,498 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. The effective property tax rate is median taxes paid divided by median home value. The two medians come from different distributions, so it approximates the typical rate rather than describing any one household.