Ottawa County, Kansas property tax
The median homeowner in Ottawa County, Kansas pays $2,651 a year in property tax on a home worth $164,100, an effective rate of 1.62%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 1.62%, Ottawa County taxes property more heavily than the country as a whole, which sits at 0.98%. Houses here are worth $164,100, below the national $303,400. Part of any high rate is arithmetic rather than policy: a smaller tax base has to be taxed harder to raise the same money.
It ranks #21 of 67 Kansas counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.30%, and #254 nationally. The state runs from 1.90% in Mitchell County down to 0.98% in Nemaha County.
The median home costs 2.14 times the median household income of $76,755, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 78.04% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. This is a small rural county of 5,782 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
| Ottawa County | Kansas | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.62% | 1.30% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $2,651 | $2,643 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $164,100 | $203,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $738 | $1,029 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $76,755 | $72,639 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.14× | 2.8× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 11.54% | 17% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 78.04% | 66.88% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 5,782.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell County | 1.90% | $2,084 | $109,600 |
| Gray County | 1.41% | $2,461 | $174,700 |
| Sherman County | 1.57% | $1,986 | $126,300 |
| Greenwood County | 1.65% | $1,360 | $82,600 |
| Washington County | 1.46% | $1,551 | $106,100 |
Ottawa County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Ottawa County, Kansas?
The effective rate is 1.62% of home value, from a median tax bill of $2,651 against a median home value of $164,100. That is 0.64 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Ottawa County?
Roughly $6,480 a year at the county effective rate of 1.62%.
Is Ottawa County expensive compared with the rest of Kansas?
It ranks #21 of 67 Kansas counties by effective property tax rate, and #254 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.32 points above the Kansas average of 1.30%.
What does housing cost in Ottawa County?
The median home is worth $164,100 and median gross rent is $738 a month. Median household income is $76,755, which puts the home at 2.14 times annual income and rent at 11.54% of it.