Counties are the third largest part of your property tax bill, just behind school districts and cities.

Your property tax bill is determined by how much local governments choose to spend, not assessments, taxable values, rollbacks, or credits. A reasonable property tax growth rate would be one that is close to the combined percent change of inflation and the county’s population. If your taxes are unreasonable, take advantage of public hearings to let your county supervisors know how you feel.

Sources: United States Census Bureau, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Iowa Dept. of Management. Calculations and charts by Iowans for Tax Relief and ITR Foundation.