Polk County, FL property tax

Census ACS 2023 5-year estimates · updated 2026-09-20

The median effective property tax rate in Polk County is 0.74%, below the Florida median of 0.79% and below the national median of 0.98%. The median homeowner pays $1,769 a year on a home worth $240,000.

Effective rate: 0.74%
Median annual bill: $1,769
Median home value: $240,000
Rank in Florida: 34of 67

Effective property tax rate: Polk County compared with Florida and the United States

Median annual bill divided by median home value, Census ACS 2023 5-year estimates.

Estimated annual bill by home value

At the county median effective rate of 0.74%, before exemptions. Jurisdictions inside the county differ; use the estimator for a specific home value and exemption.
Home value	Estimated bill	Per month
$200,000	$1,480	$123
$300,000	$2,220	$185
$400,000	$2,960	$247
$500,000	$3,700	$308
$750,000	$5,550	$463
$1,000,000	$7,400	$617

Estimate for your home value

Polk County millage rates, 2025

For 2025, the county-wide millage in Polk County is 11.9248 mills: 6.6348 for county government operations and 5.2900 for school board operations, plus the other county-wide levies below. One mill is $1 per $1,000 of taxable value, so $100,000 of taxable value owes $1,192 in county-wide taxes before any city or district levy. In 2024 the county-wide millage was 11.9308.

County-wide levies from the Florida Department of Revenue's Millage and Taxes Levied report, 2025 and 2024. One mill is $1 per $1,000 of taxable value. School millage applies to school taxable value, which can differ from county taxable value because some exemptions do not apply to schools. A blank 2024 cell means no levy that year.
Levy	2025 mills	2024 mills
County government operating	6.6348	6.6348
School board operating	5.2900	5.2960
County-wide total	11.9248	11.9308

Millage rates by city in Polk County

City millage as reported in the Florida Department of Revenue's Municipal Report; for every city shown, its taxable value times this millage equals the city taxes the Department reports levied. Highest first. County-wide plus city adds the county-wide total above; a property may also pay independent special districts that cover only part of the county, so treat it as the floor inside city limits. City names follow the Census Bureau's list of incorporated places. A blank 2024 cell means no 2024 figure, or one whose taxable value times millage did not equal the taxes levied.
City	City millage 2025	City millage 2024	County-wide plus city	Per $100,000 taxable
Highland Park	9.9759	9.9759	21.9007	$2,190
Fort Meade	8.4403	8.5000	20.3651	$2,037
Lake Wales	8.0462	7.0462	19.9710	$1,997
Lake Hamilton	7.9900	8.4276	19.9148	$1,991
Dundee	7.9000	7.9000	19.8248	$1,982
Eagle Lake	7.6516	7.6516	19.5764	$1,958
Haines City	7.3395	7.5895	19.2643	$1,926
Davenport	7.2500	7.2500	19.1748	$1,917
Lake Alfred	6.7500	6.7500	18.6748	$1,867
Winter Haven	6.5900	6.5900	18.5148	$1,851
Frostproof	6.5530	6.5530	18.4778	$1,848
Mulberry	6.3900	6.3900	18.3148	$1,831
Bartow	6.1080	6.1080	18.0328	$1,803
Lakeland	5.4323	5.4323	17.3571	$1,736
Polk City	5.2500	5.2500	17.1748	$1,717
Auburndale	4.2515	4.2515	16.1763	$1,618
Hillcrest Heights	0.6786	0.7182	12.6034	$1,260

Property tax rates by city in Polk County

Among the 18 places listed, Fussels Corner CDP has the highest median effective rate at 1.10% and Bartow city the lowest at 0.54%, against 0.74% for the county as a whole.

Census ACS 2023 5-year estimates for each place as a whole. Listed: places with at least 5,000 residents whose medians have a margin of error within 20% of the estimate. * The place extends into a neighboring county, so its figures cover the whole place.
Place	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value	Population
Lakeland city	0.73%	$1,669	$229,100	117,030
Poinciana CDP *	0.77%	$2,059	$266,900	71,665
Four Corners CDP *	0.85%	$2,659	$312,300	60,443
Winter Haven city	0.85%	$2,121	$248,200	52,846
Haines City city	0.96%	$2,416	$250,700	31,156
Bartow city	0.54%	$1,142	$210,400	19,801
Auburndale city	0.64%	$1,757	$272,700	17,438
Lake Wales city	0.85%	$1,924	$225,900	16,365
Highland City CDP	0.76%	$2,300	$301,600	12,732
Medulla CDP	0.77%	$2,235	$288,400	11,712
Lakeland Highlands CDP	0.76%	$2,680	$352,000	11,669
Davenport city	1.00%	$2,972	$297,000	11,660
Fuller Heights CDP	0.68%	$1,770	$262,000	10,697
Cypress Gardens CDP	0.67%	$1,805	$270,600	10,013
Loughman CDP	0.87%	$2,516	$289,600	7,535
Willow Oak CDP	0.63%	$1,523	$241,600	7,299
Kathleen CDP	0.64%	$1,150	$180,900	6,527
Fussels Corner CDP	1.10%	$887	$80,700	5,113

Polk County compared with Florida and the US

Area	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Polk County	0.74%	$1,769	$240,000
Florida median	0.79%	$2,555	$325,000
United States median	0.98%	$2,969	n/a

Polk County compared with neighboring counties

Polk County borders 10 counties. Ranked from lowest to highest median effective rate, it places 2 of 11.

Counties sharing a border with Polk County, from the Census Bureau county adjacency file; figures from Census ACS 2023 5-year estimates, lowest effective rate first.
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Highlands County	0.73%	$1,295	$177,900
Polk County	0.74%	$1,769	$240,000
Okeechobee County	0.75%	$1,349	$179,000
Pasco County	0.76%	$2,028	$265,800
Orange County	0.78%	$2,795	$358,300
Lake County	0.79%	$2,284	$287,900
Manatee County	0.79%	$2,853	$359,800
Osceola County	0.79%	$2,498	$317,600
Sumter County	0.83%	$2,940	$356,000
Hillsborough County	0.84%	$2,787	$333,300
Hardee County	1.05%	$1,358	$129,400

Florida statewide: Homestead exemption of up to $50,000: the first $25,000 applies to all levies including schools, and an additional exemption of up to $25,000 applies to assessed value above $50,000 for non-school levies. Apply to the county property appraiser by March 1.

Due dates and payment

Florida statewide: bills mailed November 1; 4% discount in November declining to 0% in March; delinquent April 1. Confirm the local schedule with the Polk County tax office.

Appealing your assessment

25 days from the mailing of the TRIM notice in August. Bring recent sales of comparable homes, photos of condition issues, and any error in the record such as square footage or lot size. How to appeal, step by step.

How Florida assesses value

Just (market) value set January 1 by the county property appraiser, less exemptions. Full Florida rules, exemptions and deadlines.

Rates and medians: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023 5-year estimates, tables B25103 and B25077. Effective rate is median taxes paid divided by median owner-occupied home value. Places: Census place by county reference file. Florida millage: Florida Department of Revenue, property tax data portal, data book 2025 and 2024. Neighbors: Census county adjacency file. Rules: Florida Department of Revenue, Property Tax Exemptions and Save Our Homes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the property tax rate in Polk County, FL?

The median effective property tax rate in Polk County is 0.74% of home value, below the Florida median of 0.79% and below the national median of 0.98%. The median homeowner pays $1,769 a year on a median home value of $240,000 (Census ACS 2023 5-year).

How much is property tax on a $400,000 house in Polk County?

About $2,960 per year at the county's median effective rate of 0.74%, before exemptions. The exact bill depends on the city, school district and special districts that serve the parcel, so treat this as a planning estimate.

When are property taxes due in Polk County?

Florida statewide: bills mailed November 1; 4% discount in November declining to 0% in March; delinquent April 1. Check the Polk County tax office for the exact local dates.

How do I appeal a property tax assessment in Polk County?

25 days from the mailing of the TRIM notice in August. Full Florida rules are on the Florida page.

How does Polk County compare with the rest of Florida?

Polk County ranks 34 of 67 Florida counties by effective rate. The Florida median is 0.79% and the median bill is $2,555.