What is the property tax rate in Santa Clara County?

The effective rate is 0.68%: homeowners paid a median $10,000 or more a year on a median home value of $1,490,600 (Census ACS 2020-2024). The California rate is 0.70% and the US rate 0.94%.

How much is property tax on a $300,000 house in Santa Clara County?

About $2,030 a year ($169 a month) at the county's effective rate of 0.68%. Your bill depends on your assessed value, local levies and exemptions.

Is property tax in Santa Clara County high?

Santa Clara County's rate is about the same as the California rate and 28% lower than the US rate. It ranks 41st of 58 counties in California and 1,972 of 3,134 US counties (1 = highest).

Why might my bill be different?

The rate here is an average across homeowners. Bills depend on when the home was last assessed, the levies of your city and school district, and exemptions or caps you qualify for.

Property taxCaliforniaCensus ACS 2020–2024

Santa Clara County, California property tax rate

Homeowners in Santa Clara County pay a median $10,000 or more a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.68% of home value.The median home is worth $1,490,600. That rate is about the same as the California rate (0.70%) and 28% lower than the US rate (0.94%). It is the 41st highest of 58 counties in California.

Effective rate

0.68%

#41 of 58 in CA · #1,972 of 3,134 in the US

Median tax paid

$10,000 or more

US $3,119

Median home value

$1,490,600

US $332,700

Paid by homeowners

$4.4 billion

a year, 363,147 owner-occupied homes

The Census Bureau reports Santa Clara County's median tax only as “$10,000 or more”, so the rate here is total property tax paid by homeowners ÷ total home value (0.68%). The median-based rate is at least 0.67%.

Compared with the state and the US

Santa Clara County's rate is 28% lower than the US rate

Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value). Grey ticks: the other 57 counties in California.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.

Estimate your property tax in Santa Clara County

Home value × the county's effective rate. Change the value to see your estimate.

Home value

Estimated property tax a year

$10,084

$840 a month at 0.68%, the effective rate for Santa Clara County.

At the California rate (0.70%)	$10,396
At the US rate (0.94%)	$13,974

An estimate from Census averages, not your bill. Your tax depends on your assessed value, local levies and any exemptions (homestead, senior, veteran) you claim.

Neighbouring counties

San Benito County has the highest rate next to Santa Clara County

Effective property tax rate of every county that borders Santa Clara County

County	Effective rate
San Benito County median $6,441	0.81%
Alameda County median $8,474	0.78%
Stanislaus County median $3,216	0.71%
Santa Clara County median $10,000+	0.68%
Merced County median $2,634	0.67%
Santa Cruz County median $6,538	0.64%
San Mateo County median $9,519	0.61%

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates; county adjacency file 2024.

What homeowners pay

86% of Santa Clara County homeowners pay $3,000 or more a year (US 49%)

Owner-occupied homes by yearly real estate taxes paid, with and without a mortgage combined

Yearly property tax paid	Share of homeowners
No real estate taxes paid	3%
Less than $800	2%
$800 to $1,499	3%
$1,500 to $1,999	2%
$2,000 to $2,999	5%
$3,000 or more	86%

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, table B25102.

Median tax with a mortgage: $10,000+; without a mortgage: $6,633. Homes with a mortgage tend to be newer, bought more recently and worth more.

Where to check your own bill

Your actual bill is set locally: the county assessor values your home, and the county, city, school district and other local districts each set a rate on that value. Exemptions such as a homestead exemption can cut the bill. Check your assessment and bill with the Santa Clara County assessor or tax collector.

State rules and exemptions: California State Board of Equalization, property taxes.

Questions and answers

What is the property tax rate in Santa Clara County?: The effective rate is 0.68%: homeowners paid a median $10,000 or more a year on a median home value of $1,490,600 (Census ACS 2020-2024). The California rate is 0.70% and the US rate 0.94%.
How much is property tax on a $300,000 house in Santa Clara County?: About $2,030 a year ($169 a month) at the county's effective rate of 0.68%. Your bill depends on your assessed value, local levies and exemptions.
Is property tax in Santa Clara County high?: Santa Clara County's rate is about the same as the California rate and 28% lower than the US rate. It ranks 41st of 58 counties in California and 1,972 of 3,134 US counties (1 = highest).
Why might my bill be different?: The rate here is an average across homeowners. Bills depend on when the home was last assessed, the levies of your city and school district, and exemptions or caps you qualify for.

California property tax rates by county0.70%
Property taxes by stateall 50 states and DC
Property tax calculatorany US county
Where do my state taxes go in California?state budget
California income tax calculatortake-home pay

Sources and notes

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (released December 2025), tables B25103 (median real estate taxes paid by mortgage status), B25077 (median value), B25102 (mortgage status by real estate taxes paid), B25090 and B25082 (aggregate taxes paid and aggregate value) and B25003 (tenure). Owner-occupied homes. Public domain.
Five years earlier: ACS 2015–2019 5-year estimates, tables B25103 and B25077. Dollars are nominal.
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid ÷ median home value. Taxes are what homeowners report paying for the year; values are what they say the home would sell for. Where the Census Bureau caps the median tax at “$10,000+”, the rate is total taxes paid ÷ total home value instead. ± figures are the Census 90% margins of error.
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