King County, Washington property tax
The median homeowner in King County, Washington pays $6,785 a year in property tax on a home worth $811,200, an effective rate of 0.84%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
King County taxes property at 0.84%, within a rounding error of the national 0.98%. With the rate close to typical, the $6,785 bill is driven by what housing is worth here rather than by how hard it is taxed.
It ranks #6 of 36 Washington counties by effective rate, against a statewide 0.84%, and #1,375 nationally. The state runs from 0.94% in Pierce County down to 0.57% in San Juan County.
The median home costs 6.64 times the median household income of $122,148, against 3.86 nationally, so housing absorbs an unusually large share of what people here earn. Renters pay 19.99% of median income in gross rent. With 2,262,713 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
| King County | Washington | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.84% | 0.84% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $6,785 | $4,361 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $811,200 | $519,800 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $2,035 | $1,682 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $122,148 | $94,952 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 6.64× | 5.47× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 19.99% | 21.26% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 56.09% | 63.89% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 2,262,713.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce County | 0.94% | $4,555 | $484,400 |
| Snohomish County | 0.79% | $5,121 | $644,600 |
| Spokane County | 0.86% | $3,196 | $370,500 |
| Clark County | 0.84% | $4,080 | $487,900 |
| Thurston County | 0.90% | $4,043 | $451,500 |
King County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in King County, Washington?
The effective rate is 0.84% of home value, from a median tax bill of $6,785 against a median home value of $811,200. That is 0.14 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in King County?
Roughly $3,360 a year at the county effective rate of 0.84%.
Is King County expensive compared with the rest of Washington?
It ranks #6 of 36 Washington counties by effective property tax rate, and #1375 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0 points above the Washington average of 0.84%.
What does housing cost in King County?
The median home is worth $811,200 and median gross rent is $2,035 a month. Median household income is $122,148, which puts the home at 6.64 times annual income and rent at 19.99% of it.