Property tax by ZIP code in Iowa
Enter an Iowa ZIP and see the median property tax paid, median home value, and effective tax rate from the 2020–2024 American Community Survey — plus how it compares to the Iowa state median.
Look up an Iowa ZIP code
Enter a 5-digit Iowa ZIP code above to see its property tax data.
ZIP doesn't have ACS data — typically because it's a PO-box-only ZIP, a single-business ZIP, or a small area where the Census suppresses small-sample estimates. Try a nearby ZIP.
ZIP isn't an Iowa ZIP code. This page covers Iowa only. Other states are launching state by state — check back, or use our state-by-state median page in the meantime.
Iowa's effective property-tax rate runs relatively high — around 1.39% of value statewide — because Iowa leans heavily on the property tax to fund local government. More than 2,000 local levying authorities — school districts, cities, counties, and special districts — draw on it, and a typical bill stacks several of those levies at once.
Enter a 5-digit Iowa ZIP to see its median property tax, median home value, and effective rate from the US Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 vintage, plus how it compares to the Iowa state and US national medians. One reason your taxable value is lower than your home's market value is the statewide rollback: an adjustment Iowa recalculates every year to limit how much of each property's assessed value can actually be taxed. The explainer below covers actual-value assessment, the rollback, odd-year reassessment, and Iowa's homestead, senior, military, and veteran exemptions.
How Iowa property tax works
In Iowa, county and city assessors value most property at its actual (market) value; agricultural land is the exception, valued on its productivity rather than its market price. Assessors reassess property in every odd-numbered year. Because rising market values would otherwise push taxable values up sharply, the state applies a statewide rollback under Iowa Code §441.21: it is recalculated each year to cap the growth of statewide residential taxable value at 3%, so only a portion of your assessed value is actually taxed.
Iowa's homeowner relief comes mainly through exemptions and credits. The Homestead Tax Credit and Exemption was reshaped by recent legislation: under SF 2472 (signed May 18, 2026), a homestead exemption equal to 10% of taxable value — a minimum of $5,500 and a maximum of $20,000 — takes effect for assessment year 2026. A separate exemption of $6,500 in taxable value is available to homeowners 65 and older, enacted by HF 718 (signed May 4, 2023).
Iowa also offers a Military Service exemption of $4,000 in taxable value (Iowa Code Chapter 426A) and a Disabled Veteran Homestead Tax Credit that provides a 100% exemption for qualifying veterans. Lower-income owners 65 and older or who are disabled may also claim the Elderly and Disabled Property Tax Credit (Iowa Code Chapter 425): for 2026 it is available below $26,895 of household income, up to a maximum credit of $1,000. SF 2472 also added a roughly 102% cap on prior-year levy growth, but it did not change the rollback itself.
Why your actual bill differs
The numbers above describe a typical homeowner in this ZIP — not your specific bill. A few things move bills away from the median:
- Overlapping levies. Your bill stacks the levies of several of Iowa's 2,000-plus local authorities — school district, city, county, and special districts — so two similar homes in different jurisdictions can owe different amounts.
- The rollback. Iowa taxes only a portion of your assessed value. Because the statewide rollback is recalculated every year, your taxable value — and therefore your bill — sits below your home's market value.
- Reassessment in odd years. Assessors revalue property in every odd-numbered year, so a fresh reassessment can move a bill up or down relative to the ZIP median.
- Exemptions and recent reform. The reshaped homestead exemption (10% of taxable value under SF 2472), the senior, military, and disabled-veteran exemptions, and the Elderly and Disabled Credit each pull a qualifying owner's bill below the median.
To see what is actually owed on a specific property, use your county treasurer's lookup through Iowa's shared iowatreasurers.org portal, where you can search by name or parcel and pay online.
Methodology
Data on this page comes from the US Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 vintage (released January 29, 2026), at the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level. After filtering ZCTAs the Census suppresses for privacy or small-sample reasons, this page covers 908 Iowa ZIPs.
Topcoding in Iowa. The Census caps median property tax at $10,000, reporting anything higher as $10,001. In Iowa this is essentially absent — typical bills stay well below the cap, so the figures here are true medians.
See the full methodology page for source details (Census table IDs, the comparison-median rule, calculator formulas), how we handle topcoding across every state, and the refresh cadence.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the median tax in my ZIP different from what I pay?
Median is the middle of the distribution, not your bill. Iowa assessors value property at actual (market) value, but your bill stacks the overlapping levies of the schools, cities, counties, and special districts where you live. The statewide rollback then taxes only a portion of that value, and homestead, senior, military, and veteran exemptions move qualifying owners further from the median.
What is Iowa's property tax "rollback"?
The rollback is a statewide adjustment under Iowa Code §441.21, recalculated each year, that limits how much of your assessed value is taxed — designed to cap statewide residential taxable-value growth at 3% a year. Because of it, your taxable value is typically well below your home's market value.
Where do I find my actual Iowa property tax bill?
Through your county treasurer. Iowa counties share a common lookup and online-payment gateway at iowatreasurers.org, where you can search by name or parcel.
When does Iowa data update on this page?
Annually, when the Census Bureau releases a new ACS 5-year vintage. The 2020–2024 vintage released January 29, 2026. The next vintage (2021–2025) typically follows the next year, though the Census has not yet posted its release date.
Why don't you cover other states yet?
State-by-state rollout. Each state needs its own context section (assessment method, the rollback, exemptions, local taxing structure) to be genuinely useful. High-search-volume states are going live first.