California property tax by county
Typical rates and bills for every county, from the Census survey 2020-2024.
Estimate my billHow California changed in five years
Comparing the Census surveys for 2015-2019 and 2020-2024, which do not overlap. Home values rose faster than bills, so the effective rate went down, often because of caps on assessment increases or rate cuts.
Ways to lower your bill in California
- Homestead exemption or credit. California homeowners can usually reduce the taxable value of the home they live in. You apply once with your county assessor, and the local deadline is often in the first months of the year. How homestead exemptions work
- Senior, disability and veteran relief. Extra exemptions, freezes or credits are common for owners 65 and over, people with disabilities and veterans with a service-connected disability. Many need a separate form. Senior relief explained
- Appeal a high value. If the assessed value is above what similar homes sell for, you can appeal for free, within a short window after the notice arrives. How to appeal
Official California information on exemptions
Amounts, income limits and deadlines change, and many programs are run county by county. Your county assessor's office can confirm what you qualify for.
Largest cities and towns
Property tax in California, in plain words
Homeowners in California pay a typical 0.70% of their home's value in property tax each year, below the national figure of 0.94%. On the median home, worth $734,700, that comes to about $5,124 a year. California ranks 35th highest of the 50 states and DC by rate.
Rates vary across the state. Kern County has the highest typical rate at 0.88%, and Trinity County the lowest at 0.58%. The table below lists every county, and each one has its own page with a calculator.
California's state income tax runs 1% to 13.3%. The state sales tax rate is 7.25%, and local sales taxes can add more. The typical property tax bill equals about 5.2% of median household income in California.
Every county in California
Tap a column to sort.
| County | Typical rate | Typical bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | 0.78% | $8,474 | $1,090,100 |
| Alpine County | 0.77% | $4,530 | $590,200 |
| Amador County | 0.70% | $3,172 | $449,800 |
| Butte County | 0.69% | $2,951 | $424,700 |
| Calaveras County | 0.73% | $3,319 | $457,200 |
| Colusa County | 0.62% | $2,426 | $393,400 |
| Contra Costa County | 0.83% | $7,156 | $866,800 |
| Del Norte County | 0.61% | $2,099 | $342,000 |
| El Dorado County | 0.70% | $4,753 | $679,900 |
| Fresno County | 0.74% | $2,861 | $388,800 |
| Glenn County | 0.64% | $2,263 | $352,400 |
| Humboldt County | 0.64% | $2,858 | $446,900 |
| Imperial County | 0.77% | $2,394 | $309,600 |
| Inyo County | 0.74% | $2,576 | $348,700 |
| Kern County | 0.88% | $2,984 | $338,300 |
| Kings County | 0.75% | $2,425 | $324,300 |
| Lake County | 0.73% | $2,369 | $324,300 |
| Lassen County | 0.72% | $1,923 | $265,300 |
| Los Angeles County | 0.68% | $5,675 | $834,200 |
| Madera County | 0.70% | $2,756 | $393,200 |
| Marin County | 0.66% | $10,000+ | $1,507,300 |
| Mariposa County | 0.61% | $2,377 | $387,900 |
| Mendocino County | 0.69% | $3,545 | $512,200 |
| Merced County | 0.67% | $2,634 | $391,800 |
| Modoc County | 0.69% | $1,561 | $224,700 |
| Mono County | 0.65% | $4,177 | $639,400 |
| Monterey County | 0.63% | $4,910 | $781,000 |
| Napa County | 0.69% | $5,995 | $869,500 |
| Nevada County | 0.76% | $4,694 | $621,800 |
| Orange County | 0.66% | $6,330 | $962,600 |
| Placer County | 0.84% | $5,812 | $688,100 |
| Plumas County | 0.70% | $2,537 | $360,200 |
| Riverside County | 0.78% | $4,348 | $557,300 |
| Sacramento County | 0.73% | $3,921 | $534,200 |
| San Benito County | 0.81% | $6,441 | $793,400 |
| San Bernardino County | 0.70% | $3,538 | $505,000 |
| San Diego County | 0.68% | $5,774 | $854,700 |
| San Francisco County | 0.71% | $9,862 | $1,394,500 |
| San Joaquin County | 0.75% | $3,960 | $530,700 |
| San Luis Obispo County | 0.68% | $5,636 | $824,700 |
| San Mateo County | 0.61% | $9,519 | $1,559,600 |
| Santa Barbara County | 0.65% | $5,103 | $790,700 |
| Santa Clara County | 0.67% | $10,000+ | $1,490,600 |
| Santa Cruz County | 0.64% | $6,538 | $1,027,500 |
| Shasta County | 0.69% | $2,542 | $366,400 |
| Sierra County | 0.69% | $2,279 | $331,900 |
| Siskiyou County | 0.64% | $1,973 | $309,500 |
| Solano County | 0.75% | $4,621 | $617,700 |
| Sonoma County | 0.70% | $5,695 | $815,500 |
| Stanislaus County | 0.71% | $3,216 | $450,100 |
| Sutter County | 0.75% | $3,268 | $433,500 |
| Tehama County | 0.62% | $2,118 | $339,600 |
| Trinity County | 0.58% | $1,888 | $325,800 |
| Tulare County | 0.70% | $2,318 | $330,100 |
| Tuolumne County | 0.66% | $2,864 | $433,200 |
| Ventura County | 0.68% | $5,574 | $822,700 |
| Yolo County | 0.77% | $4,749 | $620,700 |
| Yuba County | 0.74% | $3,071 | $412,300 |