O'Brien County, Iowa property tax
The median homeowner in O'Brien County, Iowa pays $1,572 a year in property tax on a home worth $158,900, an effective rate of 0.99%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
O'Brien County taxes property at 0.99%, within a rounding error of the national 0.98%. That makes the $1,572 median bill mostly a statement about local house prices rather than about local tax policy.
Inside Iowa it is among the lightest, ranking #95 of 97, against a statewide 1.43%. Union County, in the same state, charges 1.79%. Comparing states on property tax hides differences like that, which is why this site publishes counties.
The median home costs 2.33 times the median household income of $68,216, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 77.31% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. This is a small rural county of 14,103 people. Five-year survey estimates for places this size carry wide margins of error, so treat the figures as approximate.
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
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.99% | 1.43% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $1,572 | $2,795 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $158,900 | $195,900 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $770 | $949 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $68,216 | $73,147 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.33× | 2.68× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 13.55% | 15.57% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 77.31% | 71.53% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 14,103.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allamakee County | 1.22% | $2,103 | $171,900 |
| Butler County | 1.38% | $2,158 | $156,500 |
| Mills County | 1.46% | $3,334 | $228,700 |
| Kossuth County | 1.06% | $1,437 | $135,100 |
| Harrison County | 1.34% | $2,214 | $165,300 |
O'Brien County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in O'Brien County, Iowa?
The effective rate is 0.99% of home value, from a median tax bill of $1,572 against a median home value of $158,900. That is 0.01 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in O'Brien County?
Roughly $3,960 a year at the county effective rate of 0.99%.
Is O'Brien County expensive compared with the rest of Iowa?
It ranks #95 of 97 Iowa counties by effective property tax rate, and #1056 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.44 points below the Iowa average of 1.43%.
What does housing cost in O'Brien County?
The median home is worth $158,900 and median gross rent is $770 a month. Median household income is $68,216, which puts the home at 2.33 times annual income and rent at 13.55% of it.