Cook County, Illinois property tax
The median homeowner in Cook County, Illinois pays $6,053 a year in property tax on a home worth $305,200, an effective rate of 1.98%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 1.98%, Cook County taxes property more heavily than the country as a whole, which sits at 0.98%. Unusually, the housing is not cheap either. A rate above the national average on a home worth $305,200 produces a bill of $6,053, and both halves of that are working against the owner.
It ranks #34 of 97 Illinois counties by effective rate, against a statewide 2.07%, and #97 nationally. The state runs from 2.68% in Lake County down to 0.82% in Pulaski County.
The median home costs 3.73 times the median household income of $81,797, close to the national 3.86. With 5,185,812 residents this is one of the larger counties in the country, so the medians here average across a genuinely varied housing market and hide a lot of local range.
The rate is derived rather than quoted. How and why.
What that costs at different home values
Arithmetic at the county effective rate, before any exemption or assessment cap.
Housing and income
| Cook County | Illinois | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.98% | 2.07% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $6,053 | $5,189 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $305,200 | $250,500 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,381 | $1,227 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $81,797 | $81,702 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 3.73× | 3.07× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 20.26% | 18.02% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 57.51% | 66.84% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 5,185,812.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| DuPage County | 2.09% | $7,833 | $374,100 |
| Lake County | 2.68% | $8,743 | $326,600 |
| Will County | 2.35% | $6,993 | $298,000 |
| Kane County | 2.39% | $7,230 | $303,000 |
| McHenry County | 2.49% | $7,153 | $286,900 |
Cook County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Cook County, Illinois?
The effective rate is 1.98% of home value, from a median tax bill of $6,053 against a median home value of $305,200. That is 1 point above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Cook County?
Roughly $7,920 a year at the county effective rate of 1.98%.
Is Cook County expensive compared with the rest of Illinois?
It ranks #34 of 97 Illinois counties by effective property tax rate, and #97 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.09 points below the Illinois average of 2.07%.
What does housing cost in Cook County?
The median home is worth $305,200 and median gross rent is $1,381 a month. Median household income is $81,797, which puts the home at 3.73 times annual income and rent at 20.26% of it.