California Property Tax Calculator
Figure basis: Official US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimatesThis California property tax calculator estimates the annual property tax on a home using the state's median effective property tax rate, which the US Census Bureau reports as 0.71% of a home's value. Enter a home value to see the estimated yearly property tax at that median rate. The Census figure is derived from the median real estate taxes paid in California ($4,926) divided by the median home value ($695,400), from the American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Property tax in the United States is set locally, not by the state, so your actual rate depends on your county, city, school district and any special districts, and on how your property is assessed. Two homes of the same value in different counties of California can have noticeably different bills. Use this as a sound statewide benchmark, then check your county assessor for your property's assessed value and the exact local millage rate, plus any homestead or senior exemptions you qualify for. The median real estate taxes and median home value here are official Census figures; the effective rate is the simple, disclosed ratio of the two.
California's median effective property tax rate is 0.71% of home value (Census: median tax $4,926 on a median home worth $695,400). On a $400,000 home that is about $2,840 a year.
How California property tax is estimated
estimated annual property tax = home value x effective rate / 100
California median effective rate = median real estate taxes / median home value x 100
= $4,926 / $695,400 x 100 = 0.71%
Property tax is levied by local governments, so your exact rate is set by your county and municipality, not the state. The median rate above is a benchmark; check your county assessor for the assessed value and local millage that apply to your home.
Property tax by county in California
Property tax is set locally, so the statewide median above hides a wide spread. These are the US Census Bureau's median figures for all 58 counties in California: the median home value, the median real estate taxes actually paid, and the effective rate (taxes divided by value). The spread runs from Trinity County at 0.58% to Kern County at 0.88%, against a state median of 0.71%. Click a column heading to sort.
| Alameda County | $1,090,100 | $8,474 | 0.78% |
| Alpine County | $590,200 | $4,530 | 0.77% |
| Amador County | $449,800 | $3,172 | 0.71% |
| Butte County | $424,700 | $2,951 | 0.69% |
| Calaveras County | $457,200 | $3,319 | 0.73% |
| Colusa County | $393,400 | $2,426 | 0.62% |
| Contra Costa County | $866,800 | $7,156 | 0.83% |
| Del Norte County | $342,000 | $2,099 | 0.61% |
| El Dorado County | $679,900 | $4,753 | 0.7% |
| Fresno County | $388,800 | $2,861 | 0.74% |
| Glenn County | $352,400 | $2,263 | 0.64% |
| Humboldt County | $446,900 | $2,858 | 0.64% |
| Imperial County | $309,600 | $2,394 | 0.77% |
| Inyo County | $348,700 | $2,576 | 0.74% |
| Kern County | $338,300 | $2,984 | 0.88% |
| Kings County | $324,300 | $2,425 | 0.75% |
| Lake County | $324,300 | $2,369 | 0.73% |
| Lassen County | $265,300 | $1,923 | 0.72% |
| Los Angeles County | $834,200 | $5,675 | 0.68% |
| Madera County | $393,200 | $2,756 | 0.7% |
| Marin County | $1,507,300 | $10,001 | 0.66% |
| Mariposa County | $387,900 | $2,377 | 0.61% |
| Mendocino County | $512,200 | $3,545 | 0.69% |
| Merced County | $391,800 | $2,634 | 0.67% |
| Modoc County | $224,700 | $1,561 | 0.69% |
| Mono County | $639,400 | $4,177 | 0.65% |
| Monterey County | $781,000 | $4,910 | 0.63% |
| Napa County | $869,500 | $5,995 | 0.69% |
| Nevada County | $621,800 | $4,694 | 0.75% |
| Orange County | $962,600 | $6,330 | 0.66% |
| Placer County | $688,100 | $5,812 | 0.84% |
| Plumas County | $360,200 | $2,537 | 0.7% |
| Riverside County | $557,300 | $4,348 | 0.78% |
| Sacramento County | $534,200 | $3,921 | 0.73% |
| San Benito County | $793,400 | $6,441 | 0.81% |
| San Bernardino County | $505,000 | $3,538 | 0.7% |
| San Diego County | $854,700 | $5,774 | 0.68% |
| San Francisco County | $1,394,500 | $9,862 | 0.71% |
| San Joaquin County | $530,700 | $3,960 | 0.75% |
| San Luis Obispo County | $824,700 | $5,636 | 0.68% |
| San Mateo County | $1,559,600 | $9,519 | 0.61% |
| Santa Barbara County | $790,700 | $5,103 | 0.65% |
| Santa Clara County | $1,490,600 | $10,001 | 0.67% |
| Santa Cruz County | $1,027,500 | $6,538 | 0.64% |
| Shasta County | $366,400 | $2,542 | 0.69% |
| Sierra County | $331,900 | $2,279 | 0.69% |
| Siskiyou County | $309,500 | $1,973 | 0.64% |
| Solano County | $617,700 | $4,621 | 0.75% |
| Sonoma County | $815,500 | $5,695 | 0.7% |
| Stanislaus County | $450,100 | $3,216 | 0.71% |
| Sutter County | $433,500 | $3,268 | 0.75% |
| Tehama County | $339,600 | $2,118 | 0.62% |
| Trinity County | $325,800 | $1,888 | 0.58% |
| Tulare County | $330,100 | $2,318 | 0.7% |
| Tuolumne County | $433,200 | $2,864 | 0.66% |
| Ventura County | $822,700 | $5,574 | 0.68% |
| Yolo County | $620,700 | $4,749 | 0.77% |
| Yuba County | $412,300 | $3,071 | 0.74% |
Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2023), tables B25103 (median real estate taxes paid) and B25077 (median home value). The effective rate is the disclosed ratio of the two. County medians describe the county as a whole; your own bill depends on your municipality, school district and any exemptions.
Proposition 13 hides California's true rate
California's median effective property tax rate, near 0.70% of home value, sits below the national average, which surprises anyone who knows the state for its high home prices. The explanation is Proposition 13, passed by voters in 1978. It fixes the base tax at 1% of a property's assessed value and caps the annual growth in that assessed value at 2%, no matter how fast the market climbs. Assessed value only resets to the current market price when the home is sold or substantially rebuilt.
That design makes any statewide median a weak guide for one house. A neighbor who bought in 1998 is taxed on a value frozen near the old purchase price plus 2% a year, while the buyer of an identical home in 2025 is assessed at today's full market value. The gap between the two bills can run into thousands of dollars. So if you just bought, do not lean on the 0.70% figure: base your estimate on the price you actually paid, then expect the real rate to clear the 1% floor once voter-approved school and infrastructure bonds and any Mello-Roos special assessments are added, often landing between 1.0% and 1.25%.
One more California wrinkle: Proposition 19, effective in 2021, narrowed the old parent-to-child exclusion, so an inherited home that is not the heir's primary residence is now usually reassessed to market value. Before you rely on a low inherited-property rate, check the county assessor for the current assessed value and the exact voter-approved rates on your tax bill.
California property tax: frequently asked questions
What is the property tax rate in California?
The median effective property tax rate in California is 0.71% of a home's value, based on US Census Bureau data (median real estate taxes of $4,926 on a median home value of $695,400). On a $400,000 home that is about $2,840 a year. Your actual rate depends on your county and municipality.
How is California property tax calculated?
Property tax is your home's assessed value multiplied by the combined local tax rate (millage) set by your county, city, school district and other local bodies. This calculator estimates it from the California median effective rate of 0.71%; for an exact figure, use your county assessor's assessed value and local millage.
Why is California's property tax different from my neighbour's?
Property tax is local, not statewide. Rates and assessment practices vary by county, city and school district, and exemptions (such as homestead exemptions) differ. The 0.71% here is the California statewide median effective rate from the Census; individual bills vary above and below it.
Where does the California property tax data come from?
From the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2023): table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid) and B25077 (median home value). The effective rate is taxes divided by value. The figures are verified as at Jun 25, 2026.
Official sources
- California median real estate taxes paid and median home value (ACS 2023 5-year, tables B25103 and B25077): US Census Bureau, as at Jun 25, 2026.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 26 June 2026. See our methodology. General information, not financial or tax advice. Effective rate is the Census state median; your local rate is set by your county and municipality.