Lake County, Michigan property tax
The median homeowner in Lake County, Michigan pays $1,413 a year in property tax on a home worth $122,900, an effective rate of 1.15%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 1.15%, Lake County taxes property more heavily than the country as a whole, which sits at 0.98%. That combination is the usual one. Houses here are worth $122,900 against a national $303,400, and a smaller tax base has to be taxed at a higher percentage to fund the same schools and roads. Whether the state also leans on property tax by choice, as several do in place of an income tax, is a separate question the rate alone cannot answer.
It ranks #39 of 82 Michigan counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.28%, and #761 nationally. The state runs from 1.86% in Ingham County down to 0.70% in Leelanau County.
The median home costs 2.47 times the median household income of $49,680, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 81.18% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. This is a small rural county of 12,393 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
| Lake County | Michigan | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.15% | 1.28% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $1,413 | $2,795 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $122,900 | $217,600 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $863 | $1,084 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $49,680 | $71,149 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.47× | 3.06× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 20.85% | 18.28% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 81.18% | 72.92% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 12,393.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County | 1.44% | $1,459 | $101,500 |
| Presque Isle County | 1.02% | $1,382 | $135,200 |
| Crawford County | 1.09% | $1,639 | $149,900 |
| Mackinac County | 1.04% | $1,719 | $165,600 |
| Gogebic County | 1.49% | $1,488 | $99,700 |
Lake County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Lake County, Michigan?
The effective rate is 1.15% of home value, from a median tax bill of $1,413 against a median home value of $122,900. That is 0.17 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Lake County?
Roughly $4,600 a year at the county effective rate of 1.15%.
Is Lake County expensive compared with the rest of Michigan?
It ranks #39 of 82 Michigan counties by effective property tax rate, and #761 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.13 points below the Michigan average of 1.28%.
What does housing cost in Lake County?
The median home is worth $122,900 and median gross rent is $863 a month. Median household income is $49,680, which puts the home at 2.47 times annual income and rent at 20.85% of it.