Property owners in Coles County paid 1.9% of the value of their homes in property taxes in the first quarter of 2025, which is more than 1.7 times the national average, according to the real estate analysis posted by East Central Reporter.
The median sales price of a Coles County home in the first quarter of 2025 was $104,250, based on data from the 124 properties sold during that time. In 2025, the median tax bill for the county was $2,017, which is 1.9% of the median value of the homes that were taxed.
This is 1.7 times higher than the average effective property tax rate of 1.11% in the U.S. in 2023.
The analysis of Coles County real estate data showed homeowners in Oakland, Lerna, and Mattoon paid the highest rates.
The above article calculates the effective property tax rate for 2025 using estimated inflation values and 2023 tax data provided by the county. In some cases, the actual effective property tax rate may vary slightly.
The U.S. housing market has surged in recent years, with its total value approaching $50 trillion in 2024—nearly five times its value in 2000.
“The value of America’s housing market will likely cross the $50 trillion threshold in the next 12 months as there are not enough homes being listed to push prices down,” said Redfin Economics Research Lead Chen Zhao.
The following table compares Oakland with some other cities belonging to Coles County by their median effective property tax rate, calculated using sales and property tax data from the first quarter of 2025.
| City | Q1 2025 Sales | Q1 2025 Median Price | Median tax 2025 | Effective tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 3 | $76,525 | $1,868 | 2.4% |
| Lerna | 2 | $96,250 | $2,280 | 2.4% |
| Mattoon | 66 | $87,550 | $1,841 | 2.1% |
| Ashmore | 3 | $106,000 | $2,074 | 2% |
| Charleston | 45 | $132,000 | $2,314 | 1.8% |
