Custer County, Montana property tax
The median homeowner in Custer County, Montana pays $2,242 a year in property tax on a home worth $204,200, an effective rate of 1.10%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
Custer County taxes property at 1.10%, within a rounding error of the national 0.98%. With the rate close to typical, the $2,242 bill is driven by what housing is worth here rather than by how hard it is taxed.
It ranks #4 of 36 Montana counties by effective rate, against a statewide 0.75%, and #846 nationally. The state runs from 1.52% in Blaine County down to 0.41% in Madison County.
The median home costs 3.21 times the median household income of $63,585, close to the national 3.86. Incomes run below the national median, and house prices run below it too, which is what keeps the ratio ordinary. This is a small rural county of 11,938 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
| Custer County | Montana | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.10% | 0.75% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $2,242 | $2,535 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $204,200 | $338,100 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $918 | $1,031 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $63,585 | $69,922 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 3.21× | 4.84× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 17.32% | 17.69% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 68.5% | 69.42% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 11,938.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fergus County | 0.84% | $1,709 | $202,700 |
| Jefferson County | 0.56% | $2,274 | $408,000 |
| Richland County | 0.75% | $1,935 | $259,000 |
| Sanders County | 0.55% | $1,777 | $323,800 |
| Big Horn County | 1.00% | $1,482 | $148,200 |
Custer County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Custer County, Montana?
The effective rate is 1.10% of home value, from a median tax bill of $2,242 against a median home value of $204,200. That is 0.12 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Custer County?
Roughly $4,400 a year at the county effective rate of 1.10%.
Is Custer County expensive compared with the rest of Montana?
It ranks #4 of 36 Montana counties by effective property tax rate, and #846 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.35 points above the Montana average of 0.75%.
What does housing cost in Custer County?
The median home is worth $204,200 and median gross rent is $918 a month. Median household income is $63,585, which puts the home at 3.21 times annual income and rent at 17.32% of it.