Oregon’s tax system comes from two ballot measures. Measure 5 limits the tax on each property, per unit of real market value, separately for schools and for general government, and when the levies exceed those limits the bill is compressed. Measure 50 set each property’s maximum assessed value, rolled it back to an earlier level and capped its growth at a small fixed amount a year. The tax is charged on whichever is lower, the maximum assessed value or the real market value.
Unlike many capped systems, Oregon’s cap does not reset when a home sells. The new owner inherits the seller’s assessed value. That makes the seller’s bill a good guide to yours, but it also means that two similar houses can carry very different bills depending on when they were built or remodeled, since new construction and major additions are added at a ratio set for the area.
Local option levies and bonds approved by voters sit on top of the permanent rates, and in the Portland area Metro’s own levies and bonds add more. Property tax deferral for older and disabled owners is available through the Department of Revenue, with income and value limits, and veterans with a service-connected disability can claim an exemption.
Oregon mails bills in the autumn, due in mid-November, with a discount for paying in full; most escrow accounts take it. Statewide law bars new transfer taxes, but Washington County’s predates that rule and is still charged. Wildfire risk, especially in the south and east, now affects insurance prices.
Property tax in Oregon
The median Oregon homeowner pays $3,876 a year in property tax on a home valued at $477,600, an effective rate of 0.8116% in the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). That ranks the 24th highest of the 50 states and DC, above the middle state's 0.8003%. At that rate each $100,000 of home value carries about $812 a year of tax, or $67.63 a month in the payment, and that rate is what the calculator above starts from.
Oregon's counties sit fairly close together, so the state figure is a reasonable starting point. Among counties whose survey figures pass both quality checks, the effective rate runs from 0.4828% in Curry County to 0.9591% in Multnomah County. On a $477,600 home that gap is worth about $2,275 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 Oregon 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.
Oregon property tax rates by county
All 36 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 Oregon median instead of that county's figure.
| County | Effective rate | Median home value | Median tax a year | Survey | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilliam County | 1.0058% | $189,300 | $1,904 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Multnomah County | 0.9591% | $552,700 | $5,301 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Benton County | 0.952% | $513,000 | $4,884 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Umatilla County | 0.9048% | $282,600 | $2,557 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Linn County | 0.8664% | $376,400 | $3,261 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Clackamas County | 0.8463% | $611,000 | $5,171 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Washington County | 0.8383% | $588,000 | $4,929 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Marion County | 0.8381% | $416,400 | $3,490 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Union County | 0.8303% | $294,600 | $2,446 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Lane County | 0.8212% | $430,600 | $3,536 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Morrow County | 0.8095% | $240,400 | $1,946 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Lincoln County | 0.8087% | $410,800 | $3,322 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Harney County | 0.8026% | $242,100 | $1,943 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Polk County | 0.7992% | $454,700 | $3,634 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Baker County | 0.784% | $285,600 | $2,239 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Wasco County | 0.7697% | $367,400 | $2,828 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Sherman County | 0.7498% | $211,800 | $1,588 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Malheur County | 0.7473% | $248,900 | $1,860 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Columbia County | 0.7441% | $421,600 | $3,137 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Jackson County | 0.7378% | $430,200 | $3,174 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Grant County | 0.7288% | $229,700 | $1,674 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Yamhill County | 0.7261% | $471,700 | $3,425 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Lake County | 0.7121% | $219,500 | $1,563 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Wheeler County | 0.6949% | $272,400 | $1,893 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Jefferson County | 0.6924% | $374,200 | $2,591 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Clatsop County | 0.691% | $468,300 | $3,236 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Coos County | 0.6761% | $337,800 | $2,284 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Crook County | 0.6364% | $467,000 | $2,972 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Klamath County | 0.6248% | $280,400 | $1,752 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Douglas County | 0.6107% | $310,300 | $1,895 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Tillamook County | 0.6002% | $430,200 | $2,582 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Deschutes County | 0.5849% | $650,900 | $3,807 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Wallowa County | 0.575% | $394,800 | $2,270 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Hood River County | 0.5326% | $660,000 | $3,515 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Josephine County | 0.516% | $404,300 | $2,086 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Curry County | 0.4828% | $381,300 | $1,841 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
Worked example: the median Oregon home
The median owner-occupied home in Oregon is valued at $477,600 (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). Put $95,520 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 4.0% 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 Oregon home you are pricing.
| Line | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Principal and interest | $2,645.44 | $31,745.28 |
| Property tax | $323.02 | $3,876.24 |
| Homeowners insurance | $125.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Private mortgage insurance | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Total payment | $3,093.46 | $37,121.52 |
Principal and interest dominate the bill; tax and insurance, usually collected through escrow, add $448.02 a month, 14.5% of the total. Over the full term the $382,080 loan costs $570,285 in interest.
With $47,760 down instead, the loan grows to $429,840 and PMI of $179.10 a month is added, for a first payment of $3,603.25. 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 $3,820.61 but cuts the interest to $224,988.
What the median Oregon wage can buy
The median annual wage in Oregon is $57,000 (BLS wage survey, May 2025). Paid every two weeks as a single filer, that leaves about $3,630 a month after federal and Oregon 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 Oregon property tax rate:
| Level | Home price | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | $104,978 | $507 |
| Target | $210,579 | $1,310 |
| Stretch | $254,329 | $1,643 |
Here the limit is total debt: the housing payment plus the other $400 a month reaches 36% of gross pay first. The target falls $267,021 short of the $477,600 median home value: the median home costs 8.4 times the median wage, so a typical Oregon purchase usually needs a second income, a larger down payment or a cheaper area.
Living costs add to the squeeze: everyday prices in Oregon, rent included, run 3.4% above the national average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parities for 2024 (figures to December 31, 2024). That shrinks the median wage to about $55,147 in national dollars.
Oregon mortgage questions
What is the mortgage payment on the median home in Oregon?
The median Oregon home is valued at $477,600 in the Census Bureau's ACS 5-year 2020-2024 figures. With $95,520 down and a 30-year loan at the 7.4% weekly average, the payment is $3,093.46 a month: $2,645.44 of principal and interest, $323.02 of property tax and $125.00 of insurance.
What is the property tax rate in Oregon?
Homeowners in Oregon pay a median of $3,876 a year on a median home value of $477,600, an effective rate of 0.8116%. That is the 24th highest 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 Oregon county has the highest property tax rate?
Among counties with reliable survey figures, Multnomah County has the highest effective rate at 0.9591% and Curry County the lowest at 0.4828%. On the $477,600 median home, that gap is about $2,275 a year.
How much house can I afford on the median Oregon wage?
On the median wage of $57,000, take-home pay is about $3,630 a month. With $60,000 down and $400 a month of other debts, the 28/36 rule points to a home of about $210,579, against a median home value of $477,600.
Does a smaller down payment change the Oregon payment much?
With $47,760 down on the same home the loan is larger and private mortgage insurance is added, so the payment starts at $3,603.25 a month, $179.10 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.