Jefferson County, New York property tax
The median homeowner in Jefferson County, New York pays $2,851 a year in property tax on a home worth $181,000, an effective rate of 1.58%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 1.58%, Jefferson 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 $181,000 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 #50 of 62 New York counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.60%, and #270 nationally. The state runs from 3.00% in Orleans County down to 0.69% in Kings County.
The median home costs 2.79 times the median household income of $64,978, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 54.13% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. The county has 116,130 residents, which is small enough that the medians describe a reasonably coherent market.
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
| Jefferson County | New York | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.58% | 1.60% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $2,851 | $6,450 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $181,000 | $403,000 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,214 | $1,576 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $64,978 | $84,578 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.79× | 4.76× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 22.42% | 22.36% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 54.13% | 54.31% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 116,130.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oswego County | 2.58% | $3,595 | $139,600 |
| Ontario County | 2.20% | $4,460 | $202,900 |
| St. Lawrence County | 2.28% | $2,735 | $119,800 |
| Chautauqua County | 2.39% | $2,846 | $119,300 |
| Tompkins County | 2.35% | $6,374 | $271,500 |
Jefferson County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Jefferson County, New York?
The effective rate is 1.58% of home value, from a median tax bill of $2,851 against a median home value of $181,000. That is 0.6 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Jefferson County?
Roughly $6,320 a year at the county effective rate of 1.58%.
Is Jefferson County expensive compared with the rest of New York?
It ranks #50 of 62 New York counties by effective property tax rate, and #270 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.02 points below the New York average of 1.60%.
What does housing cost in Jefferson County?
The median home is worth $181,000 and median gross rent is $1,214 a month. Median household income is $64,978, which puts the home at 2.79 times annual income and rent at 22.42% of it.