This four-bedroom home, 23786 N. Lakeside Drive in the Lake Zurich-Forest Lake area, has a property tax bill of $5,097 | zillow.com
This four-bedroom home, 23786 N. Lakeside Drive in the Lake Zurich-Forest Lake area, has a property tax bill of $5,097 | zillow.com
Property owners in Forest Lake paid nearly 2.5 percent of the value of their home in taxes last year. That’s nearly two times the national average, according to an LGIS analysis of real estate sales data in Lake County from Jan 1. to June 30.
Local Government Information Service (LGIS) publishes the Lake County Gazette.
Forest Lake, population 19,612, recorded a median sale price of $245,000, based on data from the 13 properties sold during the first half of 2018. In 2017, homeowners paid a median property tax bill of $5,624, according county tax data from Lake County Assessment Office.
That’s 2.3 percent of the community’s median home value. In the U.S., the average effective property tax rate is 1.19 percent.
Put another way: a $245,000 home in Indiana, where the effective rate is 0.89 percent, would have a property tax bill of about $2,181, or nearly $3,500 less per year.
The analysis, including 65 Lake County communities, shows homeowners in Grayslake, Zion, Volo and Hainesville pay the highest property taxes in the county: 4 percent or more of their homes' value each year.
Property owners in Round Lake, Lakemoor, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Beach Park, Third Lake, Round Lake Heights, Winthrop Harbor, Long Grove and Lincolnshire, all have median effective property tax rates higher than 3 percent.
Illinois homeowners pay the second-highest property taxes in the country with an effective median rate of 2.32 percent, just behind those in New Jersey's (2.28 percent).
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Lake County communities paying the highest effective property tax rates
The following table ranks Lake County communities by their median effective property tax rate, calculated using sales and property tax data from 2018.
| City | Jan - June 2018 Sales | Jan - June 2018 Median Price | Median tax | Effective tax rate |
| Zion | 182 | $116,603 | $4,987 | 4.28% |
| Volo | 14 | $245,500 | $9,854 | 4.01% |
| Hainesville | 50 | $140,295 | $5,628 | 4.01% |
| Grayslake | 220 | $209,500 | $8,380 | 4.00% |
| Lakemoor | 14 | $190,500 | $6,860 | 3.60% |
| Lake Villa | 90 | $221,750 | $7,964 | 3.59% |
| Lindenhurst | 152 | $201,000 | $7,170 | 3.57% |
| Beach Park | 74 | $155,843 | $5,368 | 3.44% |
| Third Lake | 10 | $281,750 | $9,633 | 3.42% |
| Round Lake | 122 | $197,000 | $6,713 | 3.41% |
| Round Lake Heights | 13 | $157,000 | $5,104 | 3.25% |
| Winthrop Harbor | 61 | $177,000 | $5,748 | 3.25% |
| Long Grove | 79 | $577,500 | $18,470 | 3.20% |
| Lincolnshire | 67 | $440,000 | $13,527 | 3.07% |
| Buffalo Grove | 240 | $340,000 | $10,116 | 2.98% |
| Round Lake Beach | 213 | $138,000 | $4,073 | 2.95% |
| Tower Lakes | 9 | $362,500 | $10,610 | 2.93% |
| Antioch | 203 | $220,000 | $6,329 | 2.88% |
| Gurnee | 254 | $234,450 | $6,712 | 2.86% |
| Wauconda | 92 | $220,000 | $6,246 | 2.84% |
| Waukegan | 323 | $127,900 | $3,596 | 2.81% |
| Cary | 5 | $246,500 | $6,743 | 2.74% |
| Gages Lake | 84 | $191,000 | $5,197 | 2.72% |
| Round Lake Park | 27 | $121,000 | $3,283 | 2.71% |
| Horatio Gardens | 9 | $280,000 | $7,555 | 2.70% |
| North Barrington | 19 | $525,000 | $14,147 | 2.69% |
| Fox Lake | 72 | $166,750 | $4,493 | 2.69% |
| Highland Park | 204 | $476,250 | $12,806 | 2.69% |
| Long Lake | 25 | $111,500 | $2,990 | 2.68% |
| Lotus Woods | 7 | $108,500 | $2,898 | 2.67% |
| Deerfield | 205 | $440,000 | $11,741 | 2.67% |
| Kildeer | 30 | $577,450 | $15,394 | 2.67% |
| Lake Catherine | 14 | $155,250 | $4,067 | 2.62% |
| Grandwood Park | 60 | $255,000 | $6,638 | 2.60% |
| Channel Lake | 9 | $150,305 | $3,904 | 2.60% |
| Bannockburn | 7 | $900,000 | $23,217 | 2.58% |
| Riverwoods | 18 | $612,500 | $15,730 | 2.57% |
| Vernon Hills | 220 | $325,000 | $8,247 | 2.54% |
| Hawthorn Woods | 76 | $480,274 | $12,052 | 2.51% |
| Park City | 6 | $147,500 | $3,651 | 2.48% |
| Libertyville | 215 | $388,000 | $9,586 | 2.47% |
| Island Lake | 23 | $194,000 | $4,772 | 2.46% |
| Wadsworth | 26 | $362,500 | $8,752 | 2.41% |
| Lake Barrington | 92 | $298,000 | $7,182 | 2.41% |
| Mundelein | 85 | $185,000 | $4,448 | 2.40% |
| Spring Grove | 8 | $125,000 | $3,004 | 2.40% |
| Barrington | 63 | $412,500 | $9,870 | 2.39% |
| Green Oaks | 23 | $547,500 | $12,667 | 2.31% |
| Forest Lake | 13 | $245,000 | $5,624 | 2.30% |
| Lake Zurich | 137 | $330,000 | $7,412 | 2.25% |
| Venetian Village | 25 | $159,900 | $3,589 | 2.24% |
| Deer Park | 27 | $500,000 | $11,168 | 2.23% |
| Highwood | 15 | $312,000 | $6,966 | 2.23% |
| Fox Lake Hills | 36 | $183,000 | $3,994 | 2.18% |
| Ingleside Shore | 33 | $194,500 | $4,105 | 2.11% |
| Barrington Hills | 5 | $937,500 | $19,745 | 2.11% |
| Knollwood | 11 | $280,000 | $5,830 | 2.08% |
| North Chicago | 58 | $105,500 | $2,174 | 2.06% |
| Lake Bluff | 57 | $560,000 | $11,197 | 2.00% |
| Lake Forest | 171 | $820,000 | $14,244 | 1.74% |
Lake County communities see increases in median home price
The following table ranks Lake County cities by their median sale price, which is calculated using prices of properties sold during the first six months of 2018.
| City | Jan - June 2017 Sales | Jan - June 2017 Median Price | Jan - June 2018 Sales | Jan - June 2018 Median Price | Change |
| North Chicago | 59 | $65,000 | 58 | $105,500 | 62.31% |
| Grandwood Park | 47 | $180,000 | 60 | $255,000 | 41.67% |
| Wadsworth | 29 | $270,000 | 26 | $362,500 | 34.26% |
| Lakemoor | 26 | $144,950 | 14 | $190,500 | 31.42% |
| Channel Lake | 20 | $115,450 | 9 | $150,305 | 30.19% |
| Bannockburn | 3 | $725,000 | 7 | $900,000 | 24.14% |
| Ingleside Shore | 38 | $159,000 | 33 | $194,500 | 22.33% |
| Zion | 167 | $96,000 | 182 | $116,603 | 21.46% |
| Round Lake Park | 34 | $100,515 | 27 | $121,000 | 20.38% |
| Horatio Gardens | 8 | $234,500 | 9 | $280,000 | 19.40% |
| Venetian Village | 26 | $137,450 | 25 | $159,900 | 16.33% |
| Antioch | 148 | $190,500 | 203 | $220,000 | 15.49% |
| Winthrop Harbor | 58 | $155,500 | 61 | $177,000 | 13.83% |
| Lotus Woods | 5 | $96,000 | 7 | $108,500 | 13.02% |
| Round Lake Beach | 205 | $123,000 | 213 | $138,000 | 12.20% |
| Barrington Hills | 7 | $837,500 | 5 | $937,500 | 11.94% |
| Park City | 4 | $133,000 | 6 | $147,500 | 10.90% |
| Third Lake | 14 | $255,450 | 10 | $281,750 | 10.30% |
| Round Lake | 128 | $179,350 | 122 | $197,000 | 9.84% |
| Vernon Hills | 280 | $296,000 | 220 | $325,000 | 9.80% |
| Lake Catherine | 14 | $141,500 | 14 | $155,250 | 9.72% |
| Volo | 23 | $224,670 | 14 | $245,500 | 9.27% |
| Lake Bluff | 78 | $513,000 | 57 | $560,000 | 9.16% |
| Deer Park | 33 | $460,000 | 27 | $500,000 | 8.70% |
| Lincolnshire | 85 | $405,000 | 67 | $440,000 | 8.64% |
| Fox Lake Hills | 32 | $171,450 | 36 | $183,000 | 6.74% |
| Waukegan | 362 | $120,000 | 323 | $127,900 | 6.58% |
| Gurnee | 286 | $221,500 | 254 | $234,450 | 5.85% |
| Wauconda | 96 | $208,000 | 92 | $220,000 | 5.77% |
| Buffalo Grove | 246 | $321,959 | 240 | $340,000 | 5.60% |
| Spring Grove | 8 | $118,750 | 8 | $125,000 | 5.26% |
| Libertyville | 228 | $369,000 | 215 | $388,000 | 5.15% |
| Island Lake | 28 | $186,250 | 23 | $194,000 | 4.16% |
| Lake Zurich | 146 | $320,000 | 137 | $330,000 | 3.13% |
| Kildeer | 39 | $560,000 | 30 | $577,450 | 3.12% |
| Lindenhurst | 140 | $197,500 | 152 | $201,000 | 1.77% |
| Grayslake | 220 | $209,000 | 220 | $209,500 | 0.24% |
| Green Oaks | 27 | $550,000 | 23 | $547,500 | -0.45% |
| Barrington | 63 | $415,000 | 63 | $412,500 | -0.60% |
| Deerfield | 173 | $445,000 | 205 | $440,000 | -1.12% |
| Lake Forest | 132 | $829,825 | 171 | $820,000 | -1.18% |
| Mundelein | 98 | $187,750 | 85 | $185,000 | -1.46% |
| Long Grove | 67 | $590,000 | 79 | $577,500 | -2.12% |
| Highland Park | 235 | $488,000 | 204 | $476,250 | -2.41% |
| Beach Park | 101 | $160,000 | 74 | $155,843 | -2.60% |
| Hainesville | 36 | $144,975 | 50 | $140,295 | -3.23% |
| Fox Lake | 76 | $172,500 | 72 | $166,750 | -3.33% |
| Hawthorn Woods | 86 | $499,678 | 76 | $480,274 | -3.88% |
| Riverwoods | 35 | $637,500 | 18 | $612,500 | -3.92% |
| North Barrington | 35 | $550,000 | 19 | $525,000 | -4.55% |
| Lake Villa | 98 | $232,500 | 90 | $221,750 | -4.62% |
| Gages Lake | 84 | $203,500 | 84 | $191,000 | -6.14% |
| Knollwood | 10 | $315,000 | 11 | $280,000 | -11.11% |
| Round Lake Heights | 22 | $179,950 | 13 | $157,000 | -12.75% |
| Lake Barrington | 76 | $345,000 | 92 | $298,000 | -13.62% |
| Forest Lake | 16 | $284,500 | 13 | $245,000 | -13.88% |
| Tower Lakes | 9 | $427,000 | 9 | $362,500 | -15.11% |
| Long Lake | 33 | $147,000 | 25 | $111,500 | -24.15% |
| Highwood | 10 | $424,000 | 15 | $312,000 | -26.42% |
| Cary | 6 | $374,750 | 5 | $246,500 | -34.22% |
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