Wabash County

Wabash County is located in southeastern Illinois along the Indiana border, with the Wabash River forming much of its eastern boundary. Established in 1824 and named for the river, it developed as part of the region’s early agricultural and river-transport economy, with later growth tied to nearby coal and oil activity in southeastern Illinois. The county is small in population, with about 11,000 residents, and is characterized by a predominantly rural settlement pattern. Land use is dominated by row-crop agriculture and associated agribusiness, with additional employment in local services and small-scale manufacturing. The landscape includes broad river-bottom floodplains, wooded riparian corridors, and gently rolling uplands, contributing to a mix of farmland and natural areas. Cultural and civic life is centered in small towns and unincorporated communities. The county seat is Mt. Carmel, the largest city and primary administrative and commercial center.

Wabash County is located in southeastern Illinois along the Indiana border, with Mount Carmel as the county seat. For local government and planning resources, visit the Wabash County official website.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts page for Wabash County, Illinois, the county’s population size is reported there using U.S. Census Bureau program data (including decennial census counts and annual estimates where available).

Age & Gender

The U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Wabash County provides county-level age distribution (including the share under age 18 and age 65+) and sex composition (female percentage, from which the gender balance can be derived).

Racial & Ethnic Composition

County-level racial categories and Hispanic/Latino ethnicity shares are published on the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts profile for Wabash County, including breakdowns such as White, Black or African American, Asian, and two or more races, alongside the share identifying as Hispanic or Latino.

Household & Housing Data

Household size, number of households, owner-occupied housing rate, housing units, and related housing characteristics are available on the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts page for Wabash County. Additional county-level housing and community context is also maintained through the State of Illinois’ data and planning ecosystem, including statewide reference resources via the State of Illinois official website.

Source Notes

All demographic and housing figures referenced above are drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau county profile system (QuickFacts), which consolidates decennial census results and other Census Bureau statistical programs for local-area reporting.

Wabash County, Illinois is a predominantly rural county where lower population density can reduce broadband economies of scale, making reliable internet access a key constraint on everyday digital communication such as email.

Direct, county-level email usage statistics are not generally published, so broadband and device access are used as proxies for likely email adoption. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (data.census.gov), indicators such as household broadband subscription and computer ownership summarize the baseline ability to use email at home. Age structure is also influential: older populations typically show lower adoption of some online services, so the county’s age distribution from American Community Survey profiles is a practical proxy for expected email uptake patterns across residents.

Gender distribution is generally less determinative of email access than age and connectivity, and is mainly useful for describing population composition in the same ACS demographic tables.

Connectivity limitations are commonly tied to last‑mile availability and service quality; rural broadband availability and provider footprints can be reviewed via the FCC National Broadband Map.

Wabash County is located in southeastern Illinois along the Indiana border, with the county seat in Mt. Carmel. The county is predominantly rural, with small towns separated by agricultural land and riverine areas associated with the Wabash River. Rural settlement patterns and longer distances between cell sites typically influence mobile coverage quality and capacity, especially away from highways and population centers. Baseline population and housing context is available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s county profiles on Census.gov (via Wabash County, IL pages in data.census.gov).

Key distinction: network availability vs. household adoption

• Network availability refers to where mobile broadband service is advertised as available by providers (coverage footprints).
• Household adoption refers to whether residents actually subscribe to and use mobile service or rely on it as their primary internet connection.

County-level “mobile penetration” is not typically published as a single official metric, so the most defensible approach is to combine (1) coverage/availability datasets with (2) survey-based adoption indicators that are available at state, regional, or tract/county tabulation levels where published.

Mobile network availability in Wabash County (coverage indicators)

FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC): reported mobile broadband coverage

The primary source for sub-county mobile broadband availability is the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection, which includes provider-reported coverage for mobile broadband technologies and can be viewed/downloaded through the FCC’s mapping tools. The FCC BDC is the standard reference for distinguishing availability from adoption:

• FCC availability data and maps: FCC National Broadband Map
• Technical/background documentation for the BDC: FCC Broadband Data Collection

What the FCC BDC can show for Wabash County

• Where providers report 4G LTE and 5G mobile broadband as available (typically by hexagonal grid or polygon coverage representations).
• Differences between outdoor coverage and areas where terrain/vegetation/building penetration may reduce real-world indoor performance (the BDC is availability reporting, not guaranteed indoor service).

Limitations (availability)

• The BDC is based on provider submissions and is designed for standardized reporting. It is not a direct measurement of signal strength, indoor reception, or congestion at specific times.
• County-level summaries derived from BDC are coverage estimates, not usage.

State broadband mapping and planning sources

Illinois broadband planning materials often incorporate FCC availability inputs and may provide additional context on underserved areas and infrastructure constraints:

• Illinois broadband office and statewide broadband resources: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (Connect Illinois)

Limitations

• State materials generally emphasize fixed broadband; mobile coverage discussions are often high-level unless tied to specific planning initiatives.

Mobile internet usage patterns (4G vs. 5G) — what is known at county resolution

Availability (4G/5G)

• 4G LTE is generally the baseline mobile broadband technology reported across most populated areas in rural Illinois, including rural counties, with coverage gaps more likely in low-density farmland and river corridors. The authoritative way to confirm the current reported footprint within Wabash County is the FCC National Broadband Map.
• 5G availability in rural counties often appears in pockets—typically nearer towns, primary roads, and areas where carriers have upgraded cell sites. County-wide claims vary by provider and should be verified through FCC BDC coverage layers rather than marketing maps.

Usage (actual consumption patterns)

County-specific mobile internet usage patterns (share of residents regularly using mobile data, typical reliance on mobile-only internet, app usage) are not commonly published as an official county statistic. The most relevant adoption proxy typically available in public datasets is whether households are mobile-only for internet or have any internet subscription.

Household adoption (access and subscription indicators)

Census/ACS: internet subscription and device type (adoption, not availability)

The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) provides survey-based estimates on:

• Whether a household has an internet subscription
• Type of internet subscription (including cellular data plan categories in published tables)
• Presence of computing devices (desktop/laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc.)

These estimates can be accessed via data.census.gov by searching for Wabash County, Illinois and relevant “Internet Subscription” tables (ACS). This is the standard public source for distinguishing household adoption from network availability.

Important limitations (adoption)

• ACS estimates are survey-based and have margins of error; small rural counties can have larger uncertainty.
• ACS reflects household subscription status, not signal quality or speed.

Common device types (smartphones vs. other devices)

Smartphones as a primary access device (adoption indicator)

ACS device questions provide the most defensible public indicator of device prevalence (for example, whether households have a smartphone). At county level, these tables can indicate:

• Share of households with smartphones
• Presence of desktop/laptop computers
• Presence of tablets or other devices (depending on table vintage and definitions)

County-level device-type prevalence is best referenced through the ACS tables accessed on data.census.gov. Device ownership does not directly indicate mobile network quality, but it does characterize how residents are equipped to use mobile broadband.

Non-smartphone devices

Feature phones and dedicated hotspot devices are not consistently measured in a way that supports precise county-level reporting in public datasets. As a result, county-specific shares of feature phones versus smartphones are generally not available from official county tabulations.

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage and connectivity in Wabash County

Rural population distribution and land use

• Lower population density typically reduces the economic incentive for dense cell-site placement, which can translate to more variable coverage away from towns and along secondary roads.
• Agricultural land and river corridors can increase the distance between towers and complicate coverage uniformity.

County-level population density and settlement patterns can be referenced through the U.S. Census Bureau’s county profile resources on Census.gov and detailed tables in data.census.gov.

Income, age, and household composition (adoption-related)

• ACS data supports county-level comparisons on age distribution, income, poverty, and household composition, which correlate with internet subscription patterns and device ownership in many studies, but county-specific causal relationships are not established by ACS alone.
• The most defensible county-level statements are descriptive: differences in subscription and device ownership by tract or demographic group require careful use of ACS cross-tabulations and margins of error.

Geographic access to fixed broadband and mobile-only reliance

In rural areas, limited fixed broadband availability can increase reliance on cellular data plans as the household’s primary internet connection. The adoption signal for this is the ACS “cellular data plan” subscription category. The availability side should be checked against FCC fixed broadband layers and mobile layers:

• FCC mapping for fixed and mobile availability: FCC National Broadband Map

Summary of what can be stated reliably for Wabash County (and what cannot)

• Reliably supported at county/sub-county resolution

  • Reported mobile broadband availability (4G/5G) via the FCC National Broadband Map.
  • Household internet subscription and device ownership indicators (including cellular data plan and smartphone presence) via data.census.gov (ACS).

• Commonly not available as definitive county-level statistics

  • A single “mobile penetration rate” for Wabash County published as an official metric.
  • Direct measures of real-world signal quality, indoor reception, or congestion by location and time.
  • Precise county shares of feature phones vs. smartphones beyond ACS household device indicators.

This framework separates availability (FCC coverage reporting) from adoption (ACS household subscription/device data) and reflects the main public, citable sources for Wabash County, Illinois.

Wabash County is a small, largely rural county in southeastern Illinois along the Wabash River, with Mount Carmel as the county seat and principal population center. Its social media environment is shaped by rural broadband availability, an older age structure than many urban Illinois counties, and a local economy oriented around services, agriculture, and commuting to nearby regional job centers.

User statistics (penetration/active use)

• County-specific social media penetration figures are not published in standard public datasets (major national trackers report at the national or state level rather than county level). As a result, usage in Wabash County is most reliably described using national, demographically segmented benchmarks and local population structure.
• Nationally, about seven-in-ten U.S. adults use at least one social media site (with platform-by-platform differences by age, gender, and education). Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.
• Smartphone ownership is a key enabling factor for routine social media access; U.S. adult smartphone adoption is measured by Pew and varies substantially by age. Source: Pew Research Center mobile fact sheet.

Age group trends (who uses social media most)

Patterns below reflect the most consistently reported U.S. survey findings (Pew), which tend to map onto rural Midwestern counties with older age profiles:

• 18–29: highest overall social media use; strongest concentration of daily and multi-platform use.
• 30–49: high usage, typically second-highest overall, with heavy use of Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• 50–64: moderate-to-high usage; Facebook and YouTube commonly lead.
• 65+: lowest usage overall, but Facebook and YouTube remain the most common entry points.
• Source for age patterns across platforms: Pew Research Center platform-by-platform usage.

Gender breakdown

• Gender differences are platform-specific rather than uniform across “social media overall.”
• U.S. survey results show:
  • Women are more likely than men to use Pinterest and somewhat more likely to use Instagram in several waves of Pew reporting.
  • Men are more likely than women to use platforms such as Reddit in Pew reporting.
  • Facebook and YouTube are comparatively broad across genders.
• Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet (gender splits by platform).

Most-used platforms (with percentages where available)

County-specific platform shares are not published in standard public sources; the most defensible percentages are national benchmarks from Pew, which are commonly used as baselines for local areas:

• YouTube: used by a large majority of U.S. adults (Pew’s highest-penetration platform in recent waves).
• Facebook: used by a majority of adults; tends to over-index in older age groups and in many rural communities because of local groups, community updates, and family networks.
• Instagram: strong among younger adults; typically lower among older adults.
• TikTok: concentrated among younger adults; lower adoption in older cohorts.
• Snapchat: heavily youth- and young-adult skewed.
• WhatsApp: moderate U.S. penetration; often higher in communities with more international ties.
• Source (percentages by platform, updated periodically): Pew Research Center: Social media use in 202x.

Behavioral trends (engagement patterns and preferences)

• Community information exchange is commonly Facebook-led in rural counties, driven by local buy/sell groups, school and sports updates, event promotion, and municipal/community organization pages. This pattern aligns with Facebook’s older-skewing U.S. user base and its group/event features. Source context: Pew platform use patterns.
• Video-first consumption is central across age groups, with YouTube broadly used for how-to content, local news clips, entertainment, and educational video; short-form video growth (e.g., TikTok/Instagram Reels/YouTube Shorts) is most pronounced among younger cohorts. Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.
• Messaging and “lightweight sharing” rise with smartphone dependence, with photo/video sharing and direct messaging substituting for public posting in many demographics; this is consistent with national findings that private and small-group communication has expanded relative to broad public posting. Source context: Pew Research Center mobile adoption.
• Platform preference tends to track life stage: younger residents skew toward TikTok/Snapchat/Instagram for entertainment and peer interaction; middle-aged and older residents skew toward Facebook for community ties and YouTube for video content. Source: Pew platform-by-age breakdowns.

Wabash County, Illinois maintains family and associate-related records primarily through the County Clerk and the Circuit Clerk. Vital records include birth and death records (county-level registration and certified copies), and marriage records (licenses and certificates). Adoption records are generally handled through the court system and are not treated as routine public vital records.

Public database availability varies by record type. The Wabash County Clerk provides office information and service details on the county website (Wabash County Clerk). Court-related records, including domestic relations case filings and some associate-linked matters (e.g., guardianship, certain civil actions), are maintained by the Circuit Clerk; local access information is provided at (Wabash County Circuit Clerk). Statewide docket access is also available via the Illinois courts’ electronic search portal (Illinois eFile/eSearch information).

Residents access records in person at the relevant clerk’s office during business hours, typically by submitting a request and paying statutory fees. Some information (office contacts, forms, and procedural notes) is available online through the county pages above; certified vital records are commonly issued in person or by mail.

Privacy restrictions apply. Illinois law limits access to certified birth and death records to eligible requesters, and adoption files and many juvenile-related records are generally sealed or restricted by court order.

Types of records available

Marriage records

• Marriage licenses and marriage certificates/returns: Issued by the county clerk and completed after the ceremony by the officiant, then returned for recording.
• Marriage index entries: Many counties maintain indexes (by name and/or date) used to locate a license/return.

Divorce records

• Divorce case files: Court records created during divorce proceedings (pleadings, orders, judgments).
• Judgment of dissolution (divorce decree): The final court order ending the marriage and setting terms (for example, property division, support, parental responsibilities).

Annulment records

• Declaration of invalidity of marriage (annulment) case files and final judgment: Illinois uses the term “declaration of invalidity of marriage” for annulment-type proceedings; these are maintained as circuit court case records.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

Marriage (Wabash County)

• Filing/recording office: Wabash County Clerk (marriage licenses and recorded marriage returns).
• Access:
  • Requests are commonly handled by the county clerk’s office using identifying details such as names and the marriage date/year.
  • The clerk typically provides certified copies (for legal use) and may provide non-certified copies for informational use, depending on local practice and record type.

Divorce and annulment (Wabash County)

• Filing/recording office: Wabash County Circuit Court (Clerk of the Circuit Court) for divorces and declarations of invalidity of marriage.
• Access:
  • Case information and copies are obtained through the circuit clerk’s records unit using party names and approximate filing dates.
  • Some case-level information may be searchable through statewide e-filing/case access tools where available, with document access governed by court rules and local procedures.

Statewide verification (Illinois)

• Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records: Maintains statewide marriage and divorce verifications for qualifying time periods; these are generally verifications (confirming that an event occurred) rather than full certified court decrees for divorces. Full divorce decrees come from the circuit clerk.

Typical information included in these records

Marriage licenses/returns

Common elements include:

• Full names of the parties (including prior/maiden name where reported)
• Date and place of marriage and/or license issuance date
• Ages or dates of birth (varies by era and form)
• Residences and sometimes birthplaces
• Names of parents (varies by era and form)
• Officiant name/title and certification
• Witnesses (varies by form and period)
• License number and recording information

Divorce decrees (judgment of dissolution) and case files

Common elements include:

• Case caption (names of parties), case number, filing date, venue
• Date of judgment and findings required by Illinois law (for example, irreconcilable differences as the ground under current law)
• Orders regarding allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time (when applicable)
• Child support orders and related determinations (when applicable)
• Spousal maintenance (alimony) terms (when applicable)
• Property and debt allocation
• Restoration of former name (when requested and ordered)
• Related motions, affidavits, financial disclosures, and supporting exhibits in the case file (scope varies by case)

Annulment (declaration of invalidity of marriage)

Common elements include:

• Case caption, case number, filing and judgment dates
• Statutory basis and findings supporting invalidity
• Orders addressing related issues (property, support, children) when applicable

Privacy or legal restrictions

• Court file confidentiality and redaction: Divorce and annulment case files are court records governed by Illinois Supreme Court rules and statutes. Certain information is confidential or restricted, including protected personal identifiers and specific categories of sensitive filings. Courts require redaction of personal identity information in public records (for example, Social Security numbers and certain financial account information), and some documents may be sealed by court order.
• Records involving minors: Filings and exhibits involving minors may be subject to additional protections and restricted access under court rules and applicable statutes.
• Vital records controls: Marriage records are maintained by the county clerk as vital records, and access to certified copies can be subject to identification requirements and record-handling rules set by Illinois law and local office policy.
• Divorce “certificates” vs. decrees: State vital records offices commonly provide verification abstracts for divorces, while the complete decree and underlying filings are maintained and issued by the circuit clerk, subject to court-access rules.

Wabash County is a small, largely rural county in southeastern Illinois on the Indiana border, anchored by the county seat of Mount Carmel along the Wabash River. The county’s population is older than the Illinois average and communities are organized around small towns, agriculture, light manufacturing, and regional service centers, with many residents traveling to nearby counties or across the state line for work.

Education Indicators

Public schools (districts and school names)

Wabash County’s public K–12 services are primarily provided by two districts:

• Wabash Community Unit School District (CUSD) 348 (Mount Carmel area): Wabash High School, Mount Carmel Grade School, Mount Carmel Elementary School.
• Allendale Community Consolidated School District (CCSD) 17 (Allendale area): Allendale School (PK–8).
  High school students from the Allendale area typically attend a high school district outside CCSD 17 (feeder arrangements vary by residence). School listings and district boundaries are maintained by the Illinois State Board of Education via the Illinois school district search.

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

• Student–teacher ratio: District-level student–teacher ratios and staffing are published annually by ISBE in district “report cards.” A countywide single ratio is not typically reported; Wabash County districts are generally consistent with rural downstate staffing patterns (often near the low-to-mid teens students per teacher). The most current district figures are available in the Illinois Report Card system under each district profile.
• Graduation rate: Wabash High School’s graduation rate is reported annually on the Illinois Report Card (4-year cohort rate). Countywide graduation rates are not usually reported as a standalone metric; the district high school rate is the standard proxy.

Adult educational attainment (county residents)

County resident educational attainment is tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Using the most recent ACS 5‑year profile available for counties:

• High school diploma or higher (age 25+): reported in ACS as the share completing at least high school (including GED).
• Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+): reported in ACS as the share completing a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree.

These indicators for Wabash County are available in the Census Bureau’s county profile tables via data.census.gov (search “Wabash County, Illinois educational attainment”).

Notable programs (STEM, career/technical, Advanced Placement)

• Career and Technical Education (CTE)/vocational pathways are common in downstate Illinois high schools and are typically coordinated through district programming and regional partnerships (e.g., agricultural education, industrial/technical skills, business, health-related introductions). Program rosters and endorsements are reported on district pages in the Illinois Report Card.
• Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit participation, where offered, is reported in Illinois Report Card metrics (course participation and exam-taking vary by year and cohort size in smaller districts).
• STEM offerings are generally reflected through course catalogs (math/science sequences, computer applications) and extracurriculars; standardized statewide STEM “program lists” are not consistently published at the county level.

School safety measures and counseling resources

Illinois public schools operate under statewide requirements for safety planning and student supports, typically including:

• Emergency operations planning, drills, and visitor management consistent with state guidance.
• Student support services such as school counselors and/or social workers, with staffing levels reported in district personnel sections on the Illinois Report Card.
  Because safety and counseling resources are reported by district rather than county, the most direct public source is each district’s Illinois Report Card profile.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent year available)

The most consistently cited “most recent year” for county unemployment is the latest annual average published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS series) and/or the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Wabash County’s annual unemployment rate is available via:

• BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) (county annual averages)
• Illinois labor market information (IDES) (county summaries)

(County unemployment changes year to year; the annual series is the standard reference for “most recent year available.”)

Major industries and employment sectors

Industry mix for resident workers (place-of-residence) is reported in ACS and typically reflects:

• Health care and social assistance
• Manufacturing
• Retail trade
• Educational services
• Construction
• Transportation and warehousing
• Agriculture (often more visible in land use than in resident wage-and-salary counts, depending on farm operator classification)

Current proportions by industry for Wabash County are published in ACS “Industry by occupation” and “Employed population by industry” tables at data.census.gov.

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

ACS occupational groups typically show rural county workforces concentrated in:

• Management/business/science/arts
• Service occupations
• Sales and office
• Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
• Production, transportation, and material moving

The most recent occupational distribution for Wabash County is available in ACS occupation tables via data.census.gov (search “Wabash County, IL occupation”).

Commuting patterns and mean commute times

ACS provides commuting indicators for county residents, including:

• Mean travel time to work (minutes)
• Share commuting by car/truck/van (dominant mode in rural Illinois)
• Share working from home
• Travel time distribution (e.g., <15 min, 15–29, 30–44, 45+ minutes)

Wabash County’s most recent mean commute time and mode split are reported in ACS “Commuting (Journey to Work)” tables on data.census.gov.

Local employment versus out-of-county work

County-level “outflow/inflow” commuting (where residents work vs. where jobs are located) is best measured using the Census Bureau’s LEHD Origin–Destination Employment Statistics (LODES). This dataset can be accessed through:

• LEHD/LODES data access
• OnTheMap (interactive commuter flow tool)

For rural border counties such as Wabash, commuter outflow to nearby counties and into Indiana is a common pattern; LODES provides the definitive shares and destination counties.

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership rate and rental share

Homeownership and rental shares are reported by the ACS (occupied housing units tenure). Wabash County’s most recent estimates are available on data.census.gov (search “Wabash County, IL tenure”). Rural downstate counties commonly have majority owner-occupied housing, with rental housing concentrated in town centers.

Median property values and recent trends

• Median value of owner-occupied housing units is reported by ACS and is the standard public benchmark for county-level property values.
• Recent trends: ACS 5‑year estimates update annually but smooth year-to-year movement; for near-term market trendlines, private listing indices are often used, but they are not uniform “official” sources at the county level. The most defensible public trend proxy is comparing successive ACS 5‑year releases for median value on data.census.gov.

Typical rent prices

• Median gross rent (including utilities where reported) is published in ACS and is the standard countywide estimate for renters. Wabash County’s median gross rent is available via data.census.gov (search “Wabash County, IL median gross rent”).

Types of housing (single-family, apartments, rural lots)

ACS “Units in structure” describes the housing stock. In Wabash County, the housing mix is typically characterized by:

• Single-family detached homes as the dominant unit type (town neighborhoods and rural homesteads)
• Manufactured homes present in rural and edge-of-town areas
• Small multifamily buildings (duplexes/small apartment buildings) concentrated in Mount Carmel and other town centers The most recent unit-type shares are available in ACS housing stock tables on data.census.gov.

Neighborhood characteristics (proximity to schools or amenities)

• Mount Carmel functions as the main service hub with the greatest proximity to schools, the hospital/clinics, grocery retail, and municipal services, and tends to have the largest concentration of rental units and smaller-lot housing.
• Smaller towns and unincorporated areas are more auto-dependent, with larger lots, more agricultural adjacency, and longer travel times to daily amenities. Detailed neighborhood-level proximity is not provided as a single county statistic in federal datasets; typical characterization relies on municipal land use patterns and the location of schools and civic services.

Property tax overview (rate and typical homeowner cost)

Illinois relies heavily on property taxes for local government and schools, and effective tax rates vary by tax code area. County-level public references include:

• Effective property tax rate and median property taxes paid as reported by the ACS (“Median real estate taxes paid”) on data.census.gov.
• Parcel-specific tax bills, rates, and equalized assessed value (EAV) through the county assessment and tax extension system (typically via the county assessor/treasurer offices).
  A countywide “average rate” is not a single fixed figure because rates differ by overlapping taxing districts; the ACS median taxes paid is the most consistent public summary for typical homeowner cost.