Washington property tax by county
The median Washington homeowner pays $4,361 a year in property tax on a home worth $519,800, an effective rate of 0.84%. That ranks Washington #24 of 51 states, against a national 0.98%.
Why the county matters more than the state
Pierce County charges an effective 0.94% and San Juan County 0.57%, a spread of 0.37 points inside one state. Property tax in the United States is set by counties, cities, school districts and special districts, not by states. A statewide figure is a weighted average of thousands of separate decisions, and it can be a poor guide to any particular address.
Washington sits 0.14 points below the national effective rate. A low rate is not the same as a low bill: on an expensive home it can still produce a large one. House prices in the state moved -1.0% over the year to 2026 Q2, which changes the denominator of this rate over time.
Every county ranked
| # | County | Rate | Median bill | Home value | Rent | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pierce County | 0.94% | $4,555 | $484,400 | $1,722 | $96,632 |
| 2 | Thurston County | 0.90% | $4,043 | $451,500 | $1,634 | $93,985 |
| 3 | Walla Walla County | 0.90% | $3,386 | $375,600 | $1,113 | $72,212 |
| 4 | Grays Harbor County | 0.87% | $2,441 | $279,500 | $1,018 | $63,539 |
| 5 | Spokane County | 0.86% | $3,196 | $370,500 | $1,200 | $73,513 |
| 6 | King County | 0.84% | $6,785 | $811,200 | $2,035 | $122,148 |
| 7 | Clark County | 0.84% | $4,080 | $487,900 | $1,668 | $94,948 |
| 8 | Adams County | 0.84% | $2,104 | $251,300 | $901 | $65,042 |
| 9 | Yakima County | 0.82% | $2,299 | $281,100 | $1,068 | $68,015 |
| 10 | Skagit County | 0.82% | $4,008 | $486,200 | $1,439 | $85,474 |
| 11 | Grant County | 0.82% | $2,268 | $275,700 | $1,059 | $71,115 |
| 12 | Pacific County | 0.82% | $2,250 | $274,000 | $962 | $62,350 |
| 13 | Cowlitz County | 0.81% | $2,988 | $367,400 | $1,169 | $72,932 |
| 14 | Kitsap County | 0.80% | $4,030 | $505,700 | $1,741 | $98,546 |
| 15 | Asotin County | 0.80% | $2,289 | $286,200 | $994 | $69,107 |
| 16 | Snohomish County | 0.79% | $5,121 | $644,600 | $1,866 | $107,982 |
| 17 | Benton County | 0.79% | $2,910 | $369,400 | $1,256 | $87,316 |
| 18 | Whitman County | 0.79% | $2,566 | $323,300 | $1,002 | $52,893 |
| 19 | Douglas County | 0.79% | $3,168 | $402,900 | $1,234 | $80,374 |
| 20 | Okanogan County | 0.77% | $2,194 | $284,200 | $868 | $60,293 |
| 21 | Franklin County | 0.76% | $2,638 | $345,700 | $1,171 | $82,755 |
| 22 | Mason County | 0.75% | $2,833 | $377,400 | $1,205 | $78,359 |
| 23 | Clallam County | 0.74% | $2,860 | $385,600 | $1,110 | $67,999 |
| 24 | Jefferson County | 0.73% | $3,596 | $495,100 | $1,291 | $71,143 |
| 25 | Skamania County | 0.72% | $3,380 | $472,600 | $1,024 | $90,085 |
| 26 | Whatcom County | 0.71% | $3,819 | $536,100 | $1,465 | $80,989 |
| 27 | Lewis County | 0.71% | $2,433 | $341,500 | $1,044 | $69,690 |
| 28 | Chelan County | 0.71% | $3,235 | $454,900 | $1,182 | $78,306 |
| 29 | Kittitas County | 0.71% | $3,255 | $459,900 | $1,253 | $69,928 |
| 30 | Island County | 0.70% | $3,765 | $535,300 | $1,631 | $88,358 |
| 31 | Pend Oreille County | 0.67% | $2,048 | $307,800 | $786 | $63,750 |
| 32 | Stevens County | 0.65% | $2,016 | $308,000 | $864 | $67,405 |
| 33 | Ferry County | 0.65% | $1,792 | $274,500 | $703 | $54,650 |
| 34 | Klickitat County | 0.62% | $2,401 | $388,700 | $1,119 | $70,400 |
| 35 | Lincoln County | 0.60% | $1,621 | $272,300 | $872 | $71,227 |
| 36 | San Juan County | 0.57% | $4,131 | $726,500 | $1,413 | $83,682 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. The effective property tax rate is median taxes paid divided by median home value. The two medians come from different distributions, so it approximates the typical rate rather than describing any one household.