Harris County, Texas property tax
The median homeowner in Harris County, Texas pays $4,382 a year in property tax on a home worth $255,000, an effective rate of 1.72%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 1.72%, Harris 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 $255,000 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 #17 of 202 Texas counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.58%, and #188 nationally. The state runs from 2.09% in El Paso County down to 0.60% in Ward County.
The median home costs 3.49 times the median household income of $73,104, close to the national 3.86. With 4,758,579 residents this is one of the larger counties in the country, so the medians here average across a genuinely varied housing market and hide a lot of local range.
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
| Harris County | Texas | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.72% | 1.58% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $4,382 | $4,111 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $255,000 | $260,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,349 | $1,339 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $73,104 | $76,292 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 3.49× | 3.41× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 22.14% | 21.06% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 54.76% | 62.56% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 4,758,579.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County | 1.68% | $4,668 | $277,900 |
| Tarrant County | 1.77% | $5,211 | $294,100 |
| Bexar County | 1.81% | $4,429 | $244,100 |
| Travis County | 1.54% | $7,487 | $487,600 |
| Collin County | 1.66% | $7,432 | $447,600 |
Harris County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Harris County, Texas?
The effective rate is 1.72% of home value, from a median tax bill of $4,382 against a median home value of $255,000. That is 0.74 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Harris County?
Roughly $6,880 a year at the county effective rate of 1.72%.
Is Harris County expensive compared with the rest of Texas?
It ranks #17 of 202 Texas counties by effective property tax rate, and #188 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.14 points above the Texas average of 1.58%.
What does housing cost in Harris County?
The median home is worth $255,000 and median gross rent is $1,349 a month. Median household income is $73,104, which puts the home at 3.49 times annual income and rent at 22.14% of it.