Idaho’s main break for buyers is the homeowner’s exemption. It removes a share of the value of your primary residence and its land from taxation, up to a cap set by the legislature, and it is the difference between a reasonable bill and a surprisingly large one. The exemption is not transferred from the seller. You apply with the county assessor once you own and occupy the house, and if you rent it out later you must tell the county.
The legislature has spent recent sessions trying to slow the growth of homeowner bills. It has put state money toward reducing taxes on owner-occupied homes and school bond payments, and it has tightened how much local budgets can grow each year without voter approval. The result is that rates and credits change more often than in most states, so a bill from two or three years ago is not a reliable guide.
Older homeowners, widows and widowers, and people with disabilities whose income is under the limit can apply for the property tax reduction program, which cuts the bill further. Veterans with service-connected disabilities have their own reduction.
Idaho has no real estate transfer tax, and it does not require sale prices to be disclosed, so assessors rely on voluntary reports and market studies. Property tax is billed in late autumn and may be paid in full or in two halves. Buyers moving onto rural acreage should ask about irrigation district assessments and water rights, which travel with the land.
Property tax in Idaho
The median Idaho homeowner pays $2,038 a year in property tax on a home valued at $418,600, an effective rate of 0.4869% in the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). That ranks the seventh lowest of the 50 states and DC, at or below the middle state's 0.8003%. At that rate each $100,000 of home value carries about $487 a year of tax, or $40.58 a month in the payment, and that rate is what the calculator above starts from.
Inside Idaho the rate more than doubles from the cheapest county to the dearest. Among counties whose survey figures pass both quality checks, the effective rate runs from 0.2913% in Custer County to 0.7795% in Nez Perce County. On a $418,600 home that gap is worth about $2,044 a year. Pick a county in the calculator to use its rate, or type the rate from a listing or a current tax bill.
The survey rate is what owners actually pay divided by what they say their homes are worth, with exemptions, caps and local levies folded in; it will not match any rate printed in Idaho law. Ask for the seller's latest bill and the assessed value too, since a new owner's assessment can differ from the long-held homes behind the median.
Idaho property tax rates by county
All 44 counties, sorted from the highest effective rate to the lowest. The rate is the median tax paid divided by the median home value, from the ACS 5-year 2020-2024 survey (figures to December 31, 2024). Of these, two carry a flag: where the survey's margin of error is wide or home values hit the survey's top code, the calculator uses the Idaho median instead of that county's figure.
| County | Effective rate | Median home value | Median tax a year | Survey | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nez Perce County | 0.7795% | $334,700 | $2,609 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Power County | 0.7027% | $212,900 | $1,496 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Latah County | 0.6424% | $368,600 | $2,368 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Bannock County | 0.6385% | $300,700 | $1,920 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Jerome County | 0.6347% | $271,800 | $1,725 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Twin Falls County | 0.6114% | $337,900 | $2,066 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Lewis County | 0.5952% | $225,300 | $1,341 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Caribou County | 0.5553% | $241,500 | $1,341 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Clearwater County | 0.538% | $268,200 | $1,443 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Elmore County | 0.5374% | $316,500 | $1,701 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Ada County | 0.5183% | $512,300 | $2,655 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Canyon County | 0.5156% | $390,000 | $2,011 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Gooding County | 0.5098% | $250,900 | $1,279 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Bonneville County | 0.5038% | $368,800 | $1,858 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Bingham County | 0.5036% | $293,300 | $1,477 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Shoshone County | 0.4989% | $267,400 | $1,334 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Washington County | 0.493% | $278,100 | $1,371 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Benewah County | 0.4917% | $293,500 | $1,443 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Butte County | 0.4876% | $217,600 | $1,061 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Madison County | 0.4824% | $414,800 | $2,001 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Minidoka County | 0.4802% | $262,600 | $1,261 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Jefferson County | 0.4466% | $408,400 | $1,824 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Fremont County | 0.4449% | $314,200 | $1,398 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Oneida County | 0.4438% | $272,000 | $1,207 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Kootenai County | 0.4371% | $518,700 | $2,267 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Lincoln County | 0.4272% | $255,600 | $1,092 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Cassia County | 0.4097% | $284,600 | $1,166 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Bear Lake County | 0.4058% | $275,000 | $1,116 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Owyhee County | 0.398% | $359,800 | $1,432 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Franklin County | 0.3977% | $372,600 | $1,482 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Payette County | 0.397% | $341,800 | $1,357 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Boundary County | 0.3886% | $410,500 | $1,595 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Bonner County | 0.3786% | $487,900 | $1,847 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Blaine County | 0.3778% | $735,300 | $2,778 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Camas County | 0.3724% | $304,000 | $1,132 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Adams County | 0.361% | $376,500 | $1,359 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Lemhi County | 0.3545% | $326,100 | $1,156 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Boise County | 0.3384% | $476,100 | $1,611 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Gem County | 0.3308% | $428,700 | $1,418 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Clark County | 0.3287% | $216,900 | $713 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Idaho County | 0.3208% | $310,200 | $995 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Teton County | 0.3104% | $690,500 | $2,143 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Valley County | 0.2989% | $657,000 | $1,964 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Custer County | 0.2913% | $381,700 | $1,112 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
Worked example: the median Idaho home
The median owner-occupied home in Idaho is valued at $418,600 (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). Put $83,720 down, enough to keep the loan at 80% of the price so no PMI is charged, and borrow the rest over 30 years at 7.4%, the Freddie Mac average for the week of October 15, 2026. Insurance is the calculator's default of $1,500 a year, the same figure on every state page and 4.8% of this payment; real premiums vary widely from state to state and with a home's exposure to wind, flood and wildfire, so replace it with a premium for the Idaho home you are pricing.
| Line | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Principal and interest | $2,318.64 | $27,823.68 |
| Property tax | $169.85 | $2,038.20 |
| Homeowners insurance | $125.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Private mortgage insurance | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Total payment | $2,613.49 | $31,361.88 |
Principal and interest dominate the bill; tax and insurance, usually collected through escrow, add $294.85 a month, 11.3% of the total. Over the full term the $334,880 loan costs $499,832 in interest.
With $41,860 down instead, the loan grows to $376,740 and PMI of $156.98 a month is added, for a first payment of $3,060.30. On the regular schedule the PMI stops after 10 years, with the payment in October 2036. A 15-year loan at the 6.71% average, with the larger down payment, raises the monthly figure to $3,250.81 but cuts the interest to $197,194.
What the median Idaho wage can buy
The median annual wage in Idaho is $47,970 (BLS wage survey, May 2025). Paid every two weeks as a single filer, that leaves about $3,253 a month after federal and Idaho paycheck deductions. With $60,000 saved for a down payment and $400 a month of other debts, the home affordability calculator's default 28/36 rule gives this range at 7.4% and the Idaho property tax rate:
| Level | Home price | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | $96,001 | $413 |
| Target | $181,393 | $1,039 |
| Stretch | $219,570 | $1,319 |
Here the limit is total debt: the housing payment plus the other $400 a month reaches 36% of gross pay first. The target falls $237,207 short of the $418,600 median home value: the median home costs 8.7 times the median wage, so a typical Idaho purchase usually needs a second income, a larger down payment or a cheaper area.
Everyday costs help: Idaho's prices for goods and rent run 4.5% below the national average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parities for 2024 (figures to December 31, 2024). That stretches the median wage to about $50,234 in national dollars.
Idaho mortgage questions
What is the mortgage payment on the median home in Idaho?
The median Idaho home is valued at $418,600 in the Census Bureau's ACS 5-year 2020-2024 figures. With $83,720 down and a 30-year loan at the 7.4% weekly average, the payment is $2,613.49 a month: $2,318.64 of principal and interest, $169.85 of property tax and $125.00 of insurance.
What is the property tax rate in Idaho?
Homeowners in Idaho pay a median of $2,038 a year on a median home value of $418,600, an effective rate of 0.4869%. That is the seventh lowest of the 50 states and DC. It is a measure of what owners actually pay, not a rate set in law, and a new purchase can be taxed differently.
Which Idaho county has the highest property tax rate?
Among counties with reliable survey figures, Nez Perce County has the highest effective rate at 0.7795% and Custer County the lowest at 0.2913%. On the $418,600 median home, that gap is about $2,044 a year.
How much house can I afford on the median Idaho wage?
On the median wage of $47,970, take-home pay is about $3,253 a month. With $60,000 down and $400 a month of other debts, the 28/36 rule points to a home of about $181,393, against a median home value of $418,600.
Does a smaller down payment change the Idaho payment much?
With $41,860 down on the same home the loan is larger and private mortgage insurance is added, so the payment starts at $3,060.30 a month, $156.98 of it PMI. The PMI stops once the scheduled balance reaches 78% of the original value.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS 5-year 2020-2024), tables B25103 and B25077
- Freddie Mac, 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States [MORTGAGE30US], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, removing PMI
Mortgage rates: Freddie Mac weekly averages as of . Property tax rates: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2020-2024 as of . Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 as of . How we calculate.