By MillRate USA · Rates from the Iowa Department of Management · Last reviewed 2026-10-27
How to read these rankings
Iowa publishes a consolidated rate for each tax district, in dollars per $1,000 of taxable value. A home's taxable value is only part of its assessed value, set by the residential rollback (44.5345% for 2026–27 bills), so rates here look larger than per-$100 rates elsewhere.
The rankings cover the 43 places with at least 10,000 residents, using Census Bureau population estimates for 2025. Many places have more than one rate, because they span school or tax districts. Each is ranked by its main rate: the rate in the school district that shares its name, or where there isn't one, the middle of its rates. The full range is shown underneath. Your own rate depends on your address. The middle rate among them is 37.39145 per $1,000.
Highest 2026–27 rates
| # | Place | County | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterloo | Black Hawk County | 45.82632range 43.18555 to 46.23851 |
| 2 | Ottumwa | Wapello County | 44.84601 |
| 3 | Fort Dodge | Webster County | 44.82686 |
| 4 | Storm Lake | Buena Vista County | 44.73379 |
| 5 | Des Moines | Polk County | 43.74496range 40.19182 to 46.09503 |
| 6 | Marshalltown | Marshall County | 42.9196range 38.8488 to 42.9196 |
| 7 | Council Bluffs | Pottawattamie County | 42.38685range 37.28998 to 42.38685 |
| 8 | Burlington | Des Moines County | 41.1989range 39.18191 to 41.1989 |
| 9 | Clinton | Clinton County | 40.51421range 39.78394 to 42.78539 |
| 10 | Marion | Linn County | 40.38566range 36.30117 to 40.38566 |
Lowest 2026–27 rates
| # | Place | County | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carroll | Carroll County | 26.10948 |
| 2 | Le Mars | Plymouth County | 27.57338 |
| 3 | West Des Moines | Dallas County | 29.9395range 29.9395 to 34.383 |
| 4 | Dubuque | Dubuque County | 30.4086range 28.81038 to 30.4086 |
| 5 | Ames | Story County | 30.8789range 25.97054 to 35.58394 |
| 6 | Pella | Marion County | 32.1084 |
| 7 | Bettendorf | Scott County | 32.67973range 31.90997 to 35.42973 |
| 8 | Cedar Falls | Black Hawk County | 33.70608range 33.70608 to 36.75904 |
| 9 | Clive | Polk County | 33.867645range 33.66293 to 34.07236 |
| 10 | Urbandale | Dallas County | 34.18917range 33.45648 to 34.92186 |
What the gap means in dollars
On $100,000 of taxable value, Waterloo's rate comes to $4,583 a year, and Carroll's to $2,611: a difference of $1,972. Deductions, exemptions and credits lower the actual bill.
Biggest increases, 2025–26 to 2026–27
The ranked places whose rate rose the most. A higher rate doesn't always mean a higher bill, because values change too.
| # | Place | County | Change | 2025–26 → 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mason City | Cerro Gordo County | +10.3% | 33.75683 → 37.23718 |
| 2 | Marshalltown | Marshall County | +5.4% | 40.72645 → 42.9196 |
| 3 | Des Moines | Polk County | +3.4% | 42.32446 → 43.74496 |
| 4 | Clinton | Clinton County | +3.3% | 39.23726 → 40.51421 |
| 5 | Waverly | Bremer County | +3.2% | 37.6938 → 38.89101 |
| 6 | West Des Moines | Dallas County | +2.4% | 29.22732 → 29.9395 |
| 7 | West Des Moines | Polk County | +2.3% | 34.12169 → 34.92276 |
| 8 | Spencer | Clay County | +1.9% | 33.7518 → 34.38604 |
| 9 | Storm Lake | Buena Vista County | +1.8% | 43.9471 → 44.73379 |
| 10 | Ames | Story County | +1.0% | 30.58245 → 30.8789 |
Find your rate
Every Iowa city, town and township has its own page with its rate history and a calculator. Start from the Iowa page, or read the Iowa property tax guide for how bills, deadlines and appeals work.
Source
Source: Iowa Department of Management, Consolidated Property Tax Rates by Tax District, FY2027. Retrieved 2026-10-27.
Rates are shown exactly as published. Rankings compare published rates, not bills. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].