What a Jackson home costs each year
Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.
Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.
Starts at $51,600 of taxable value. Typical use.
- Property tax$2,558
6.757% of $51,600 taxable value, with the principal residence exemption: the local school operating millage, up to 18 mills, is removed for your principal residence.
- Electricity and gas$2,839
628.09 kWh a month $1,885 · 68.74 therms $954
- Water and sewer$1,028
6 units (CCF) a month on City of Jackson: water $53, sewer $33 a month
- Trash$0
No City trash fee (private hauler price not included), $0 a month
- Home insurance$1,056
Typical premium $1,056
A typical Jackson house costs about $7,500 a year: $2,560 property tax and charges, $1,030 water and sewer, $0 trash, $2,840 electricity and gas, $1,060 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Ways to pay less
Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:
Principal Residence Exemption
A principal residence exemption exempts an owner's principal residence from the local school operating millage, up to 18 mills.
How: File a Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit (Form 2368) with the assessor for the city where the property is located.
Lower incomes: Michigan Homestead Property Tax CreditUp to $1,900
Tax year 2025 limits: maximum taxable value $165,400, total household resources limit $71,500, phase-out above $62,500, credit limit $1,900.
How: See the Michigan Department of Treasury's Homestead Property Tax Credit information.
Money dates
- Jun 1, 2027File a Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit (Form 2368) on or before June 1 to reduce that year’s property taxes beginning with the summer tax levy
Who serves this house
- Water
- City of Jackson
- City of Jackson inside-the-city water rates for FY 2026/27: billing charge per bill, readiness charge by meter size, and a commodity rate per 100 cu.ft.
- Property tax
- 6.76% of value
- 2025 tax year, Jackson City with Jackson Public Schools
- Sewer
- City of Jackson
- Wastewater treatment plant has capacity to treat 18.8 million gallons per day
- Electricity
- Consumers Energy
- Jackson is listed in Consumers Energy's electric territory
- Gas
- Consumers Energy
- Jackson is listed in Consumers Energy's gas territory
Other MI cities
Beverly Hills home costsMount Pleasant home costsWyoming home costsBattle Creek home costsGrand Rapids home costsSaginaw home costsMarquette home costsMidland home costsOwosso home costsWayne home costsAnn Arbor home costsLincoln Park home costsFlint home costsBay City home costsGarden City home costsWalker home costsNiles home costs
How these numbers are made
- Property tax: the State of Michigan 2025 total rate for Jackson City with Jackson Public Schools is 49.5656 mills for a principal residence and 67.5656 mills otherwise; the 18-mill difference is what a Principal Residence Exemption removes. Other school districts serve part of the city (East Jackson, Michigan Center, Northwest). The 2026 rates are not yet published. The city also levies an income tax, not modelled here.
- Taxable value: we start at half of the Census ACS 2024 5-year median value of owner-occupied units in Jackson ($103,200), because assessed value is set at 50% of true cash value. Enter your own taxable value from your bill.
- Water and sewer: City Council Option #1 rates for FY 2026/27 (council packet of June 10, 2025), 5/8-inch meter. Residential customers are billed quarterly, so the per-bill billing charge is divided by 3 (water $8.43, sewer $14.19) and the daily readiness charge ($0.45464 water, $0.12418 sewer) is multiplied by 365/12; usage rates are $6.01 and $4.08 per 100 cu.ft. Default use is the 1,800 cubic feet per quarter the City used for its typical homeowner (6 CCF a month).
- Garbage: Jackson residents hire a City-approved private hauler; prices are not published by the City, so no trash cost is included. Stormwater and street lighting: no flat residential charge was found.
- Electricity: Michigan Public Service Commission September 1, 2026 comparison for Consumers Energy ($9.50 plus 23.5 cents per kWh); gas: the MPSC September 1, 2026 comparison ($17.00 plus per-Ccf charges, converted at 1.037 therms per Ccf). Typical use is the Michigan statewide EIA average. Insurance: 2022 NAIC statewide average.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
- City Council packet June 10, 2025 (water and wastewater rate resolution, Option #1)
- City of Jackson Billing Division
- Census ACS 2024 DP04 Jackson city
- Michigan Treasury 2025 total property tax rates
- Consumers Energy electric rate book, territory
- Consumers Energy gas rate book, territory
- www.michigan.gov
- www.michigan.gov
- www.michigan.gov
- www.eia.gov
- www.eia.gov
- www.eia.gov
- www.michigan.gov
- www.iii.org
- www.michigan.gov
- City of Jackson Utilities (trash providers)
- City of Jackson Public Works
How Jackson compares
A typical Jackson house against the 18 Michigan cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | Jackson | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 6.76% | 6.17% | higher than 11 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
| Water | $632 | $622 | higher than 9 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $396 | $750 | lower than 17 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
| Trash | $0 | $227 | lower than 7 of the other 8 Michigan cities we cover |
| Electricity and gas | $2,839 | $2,762 | higher than 13 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
| Home insurance | $1,056 | $1,056 | in the middle of 16 other Michigan cities we cover |
| Total | $7,481 | $8,299 | lower than 12 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover |
Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.
Questions to ask your candidates
Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.
1. Sewer and utility-bill fees
The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $396 a year, lower than 17 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.
Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $396 a year, lower than 17 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
2. Trash
The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $0 a year for the standard cart, lower than 7 of the other 8 Michigan cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.
Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $0 a year for the standard cart, lower than 7 of the other 8 Michigan cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"
3. Electricity and gas
The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,839 a year, higher than 13 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.
Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $2,839 a year for a typical house, higher than 13 of the other 17 Michigan cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"
Common questions about Jackson house costs
What is the property tax rate in Jackson?
About 4.96% of taxable value a year for an owner's principal residence, or 6.76% without the Principal residence exemption: the local school operating millage, up to 18 mills, is removed for your principal residence. (2025 tax year, Jackson City with Jackson Public Schools).
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Jackson?
A house bought for $500,000 starts at about $250,000 of taxable value (50% of its value), so about $12,391 a year with the principal residence exemption: the local school operating millage, up to 18 mills, is removed for your principal residence.. After that, taxable value rises by inflation or 5%, whichever is lower, until the house sells again.
How much is the water bill in Jackson?
About $86 a month for water and sewer at typical use (6 units, or 4,488 gallons a month) on City of Jackson.
How much does trash pickup cost in Jackson?
$0 a month for a house.
Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Jackson?
Yes. Lower incomes: Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit: Tax year 2025 limits: maximum taxable value $165,400, total household resources limit $71,500, phase-out above $62,500, credit limit $1,900.
How much does a house in Jackson cost to run each year?
A typical Jackson house costs about $7,500 a year: $2,560 property tax and charges, $1,030 water and sewer, $0 trash, $2,840 electricity and gas, $1,060 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.