Harris County Appraisal District - Total Tax Parcels / Values
According to the Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD), Harris County’s appraised value of all property reached $900.86 billion in 2024. Valuations by HCAD have doubled in the past decade and are looking to only climb in the future. As the estimated value reaches new heights, so will taxes. Property taxes are the biggest tax burden for Texans and are a significant cost that is shooting to the moon. The only alternative a taxpayer has is to appeal their taxes. O’Connor has the experience and knowledge to fight HCAD for every dime that you are owed. Enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ to protect your investment, finances, and legacy. There are no flat fees, no money upfront, and you only pay if you win. You just need to enroll, relax, and save.
Total Number of Parcels in DistrictSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Millions | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 1.7577 | 1.6054 | 1.6235 | 1.8268 | 1.7973 | 1.8215 | 1.8424 | 1.8718 | 1.9022 | 1.9187 | 1.9618 | |
| Parcels Appraised | 1.7577 | 1.3312 | 1.4254 | 1.8268 | 1.7973 | 1.8215 | 1.8424 | 1.8718 | 1.9022 | 1.9187 | 1.9618 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since About half of Texas properties are assessed at 100% of market value or higher based on data from the Texas Comptroller.
HCAD Tax Parcels
The basic unit that the Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) uses to levy taxes is the parcel. Parcels are groups of property or land that are bundled together so that the value may be assessed. Once an accurate value for a parcel is established, it is then taxed, with the revenue being divided between taxing entities. The Houston area has 1.96 million such parcels, making it the most valuable county in Texas. The average county in Texas has 90,622 parcels, only 4.7% of the real estate Harris encompasses.
While the size and value of the land in the county is truly enormous, HCAD has only a relative handful of appraisers to evaluate it all. In 2024, HCAD had 327 full-time appraisers, the highest in more than a decade. When put up against 1.96 million parcels, that means each appraiser is responsible for 5,993.88 parcels. Despite the herculean effort in front of them, every single parcel in the county was appraised in 2024. While impressive, that also means that HCAD could not look at every piece of land individually and instead had to use a ballpark guestimate.
HCAD Total Number of Parcels in District
The shotgun-style valuations that HCAD is forced to do mean that no real estate is being taxed at its true value. The only recourse a taxpayer has to get the correct value of their property is to protest. Appeals and protesting property taxes in Texas are free and the tax cannot be raised in such a dispute. O’Connor is a tax consulting firm that was founded in 1974 for the purpose of protecting the interests of taxpayers. Based in Houston, O’Connor is equipped to deal with HCAD like no other. One of the largest property tax firms in America, O’Connor has the resources to get back every cent a taxpayer deserves.
Market Value All Property in Harris CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Billions of $ | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| $ Total market value | 451.704 | 524.162 | 554.269 | 574.018 | 581.258 | 630.702 | 663.987 | 686.566 | 788.311 | 888.933 | 900.860 | |
| Single Family | 201.846 | 232.127 | 245.883 | 256.867 | 257.873 | 280.014 | 293.924 | 316.031 | 375.662 | 429.042 | 432.805 | |
| Multi-family | 27.031 | 31.325 | 35.750 | 38.130 | 40.360 | 45.550 | 53.397 | 54.801 | 63.456 | 75.198 | 70.523 | |
| Commercial | 117.701 | 128.944 | 140.331 | 143.897 | 141.164 | 154.221 | 162.953 | 164.094 | 179.000 | 195.773 | 202.490 | |
| All Other | 105.127 | 131.765 | 131.854 | 134.832 | 141.466 | 151.261 | 153.306 | 151.678 | 169.845 | 188.920 | 195.042 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since To support neighbors’ appeals for unequal appraisal.
Harris County - Total Market Value
With Harris County’s gargantuan 1.96 million parcels, it should not be surprising that the property value is also unfathomable. In 2024, HCAD estimated that the county had $900.86 billion in real property. This figure nearly doubles the $451.70 billion the area totaled in 2014. HCAD has stayed relatively the same size in context, with the implication being that they are using more inaccurate guestimates than ever before. The cause of high taxes lies in this combination of growth and understaffing.
Single family homes made up $432.81 billion of the total, or 50.14%. Commercial properties followed with $202.49 billion in value. Utilities, oil and gas, and miscellaneous properties were bundled into the “other” designation, which accounted for $195.40 billion.