Property tax by ZIP code in Washington
Enter a Washington 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 Washington state median.
Look up a Washington ZIP code
Enter a 5-digit Washington 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 a Washington ZIP code. This page covers Washington only. Other states are launching state by state — check back, or use our state-by-state median page in the meantime.
Washington property tax is budget-based, not rate-based. County assessors value property at 100% of true and fair market value, but the tax rate isn't set in advance — each taxing district (county, city, school, fire, library) adopts a budget, and the rate is whatever produces that budget across the district's assessed value. A constitutional 1% regular-levy cap plus a separate levy-growth limit hold rate increases down, which is why a high-value state still lands at a moderate effective rate.
Enter a 5-digit Washington 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 the ZIP compares to the Washington state and US national medians. The explainer below covers the senior and disabled-persons relief, the Census topcoding that affects a handful of high-value Puget Sound ZIPs, and the methodology behind the comparison rates.
How Washington property tax works
Washington's system is budget-based, which surprises homeowners coming from rate-based states. County assessors value all property at 100% of true and fair market value, and the state has used annual revaluation statewide since 2014, with a physical inspection at least once every six years. But the rate is derived, not fixed: each taxing district sets a budget, and the levy rate is whatever raises that budget against the district's assessed value. The Department of Revenue oversees assessment; your county treasurer collects the bill.
Two limits keep rate growth in check. A constitutional 1% cap holds regular levies to 1% of true and fair value, and a separate levy growth limit (RCW ch. 84.55) caps a district's regular levy increase to 101% of its highest of three recent levies — or, for districts of 10,000 or more, the lesser of 101% or 100% plus inflation. A district can exceed that only with voter approval (a "lid lift") or by using banked capacity.
Washington has no general homestead exemption. Relief is limited to the Senior Citizen and Disabled Persons exemption and deferral: the exemption is open to owners 61 and older (or retired-disabled, or qualifying disabled veterans) with income at or below a county-specific threshold, and it delivers a tiered reduction rather than a flat amount. A separate deferral lets qualifying owners 60 and older postpone taxes at 5% simple interest, repaid on sale or death. Most recently, ESSB 6162, signed March 23, 2026 (Chapter 163, 2026 Laws), updated the income thresholds used for 2027–2029.
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:
- The mix of taxing districts. Washington is budget-based, so your bill is the sum of every overlapping district's derived rate — county, city, school, fire, library, and any special districts. Two homes of equal value across a district boundary can pay very differently.
- Voter-approved levies and lid lifts. School and other levies approved at the ballot box sit on top of the regular-levy limits, so a district that recently passed one carries a higher rate than a neighbor that didn't.
- Senior and disabled relief. If you qualify for the Senior Citizen / Disabled Persons exemption, the tiered reduction lowers your bill below the ZIP median; without it you pay the full derived rate.
For your current assessment and bill, start with your county treasurer. King County, for example, lets you look up and pay at payment.kingcounty.gov; every county runs its own portal.
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 535 Washington ZIPs.
Washington topcoding. The Census caps median property tax at $10,000 — median tax appears as $10,001 for any ZIP where the true median is at or above the cap. Washington has a modest but real count of topcoded ZIPs, concentrated in high-value Puget Sound areas (Seattle, Bellevue, and the Eastside); effective-rate calculations for those ZIPs are floor estimates, not exact values.
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. Because Washington is budget-based, the specific mix of districts overlapping your parcel — county, city, schools, fire, library — sets your rate, and the Senior Citizen / Disabled Persons exemption or deferral, if you qualify, shifts your bill away from the ZIP median.
Why does my ZIP show $10,001 as the median tax?
That's the Census topcode. The ACS reports property-tax responses above $10,000 as $10,001 to protect privacy, so the true median is at least $10,000 — often higher. In Washington these cluster in a handful of high-value Puget Sound ZIPs (Seattle, Bellevue, and the Eastside).
Where do I find my actual Washington property tax bill?
Through your county treasurer, who collects the tax (the Department of Revenue oversees assessment but does not bill or collect). Washington has no single statewide portal — King County, for example, lets you pay at payment.kingcounty.gov.
When does Washington 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, exemptions, local taxing structure) to be genuinely useful. High-search-volume states are going live first.