Washington State's average effective property tax rate is approximately 0.76%-0.87% of assessed home value (the Washington Department of Revenue's own 2025 Property Tax Statistics puts the statewide average effective rate at about 0.75%-0.76%; third-party aggregators like SmartAsset, Tax Foundation, and WorldPopulationReview place it in a 0.79%-0.87% range depending on methodology and year of data). Either way, Washington sits clearly below the ~0.99% national average effective rate — roughly 15-25% lower than the U.S. norm, ranking Washington in the bottom half of states (commonly cited around #25-#30) for effective property tax burden. However, this is a state with no income tax, so property tax funds a larger share of local government than in many peer states. Rates vary meaningfully by county: Pierce County runs higher (~1.0%-1.06% effective), King and Snohomish Counties are near/slightly above the state average (~0.83%-0.95%), while rural counties like Ferry County are notably lower (~0.64%).
Example: Statewide, the often-cited median-value example (based on median home value ~$287,200) works out to roughly $2,631/year, per Tax-Rates.org's compilation of Census/DOR data. In practice, actual bills skew much higher in high-value metro counties: King County (Seattle area) collects an average of about $3,572/year at its ~0.88% effective rate, and in the city of Seattle specifically, current median assessed values (~$750,000-$900,000) translate to roughly $6,750-$7,500/year in property tax at a ~0.9%-1.0% effective rate. By contrast, Ferry County's average annual bill is only about $941. Because Washington property tax bills scale with local home values (not just a flat statewide rate), the "median" figure a homeowner should use depends heavily on which county they're in.
Washington has no general "homestead exemption" in the way states like Florida or Texas do (i.e., no flat exemption available to all owner-occupants regardless of age/income); its primary property tax relief is the income- and age/disability-qualified Senior Citizen/Disabled Persons Exemption and Deferral programs described above, administered county-by-county. Because thresholds and effective rates vary by county, homeowners should confirm exact current figures with their county assessor and the WA DOR's published income threshold tables (tax years 2024-2026, with 2027-2029 thresholds now also posted) rather than relying on a single statewide number. Also note ESSB 6162 raised the allowable income-threshold percentage of county median household income effective August 1, 2026, so exemption eligibility is expanding for some counties.
Facts on this page reflect research current as of 2026-07-05. Programs, rates, and laws change — confirm current figures with the relevant state agency before relying on them.