Mccook County

McCook County is located in southeastern South Dakota, along the Minnesota border, and forms part of the broader Sioux Falls metropolitan region. Established in 1873 and organized in 1881, the county was named for Union Army general Alexander McCook, reflecting the era of post–Civil War settlement and the expansion of agriculture on the northern Great Plains. It is small in population, with about 5,700 residents as of the 2020 U.S. Census. The county seat is Salem. McCook County is predominantly rural, with an economy centered on row-crop farming and livestock production, supported by related services in its towns. The landscape consists largely of gently rolling prairie and cultivated farmland, with local drainage and small watercourses typical of the region. Cultural and community life is shaped by small-town institutions, agricultural traditions, and regional ties to nearby urban centers in southeastern South Dakota.

McCook County is a rural county in southeastern South Dakota, part of the Sioux Falls metropolitan region. The demographic figures below summarize the most commonly cited county-level measures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Population Size

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for McCook County, South Dakota, the county’s population was 5,682 (2020 Census).
• The same Census Bureau profile reports a 2023 population estimate of 5,449.

Age & Gender

Using the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts county profile:

• Age distribution (percent of population)
  • Under 5 years: 6.1%
  • Under 18 years: 25.5%
  • 65 years and over: 16.6%
• Gender ratio
  • Female persons: 49.0%
  • Male persons: 51.0% (calculated as the remainder)

Racial & Ethnic Composition

From the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts profile (race categories shown as “alone” unless otherwise stated):

• White alone: 95.0%
• Black or African American alone: 0.4%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 1.4%
• Asian alone: 0.5%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.0%
• Two or more races: 2.8%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 2.3%

Household & Housing Data

From the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts profile:

• Households (2018–2022): 2,123
• Persons per household (2018–2022): 2.50
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate (2018–2022): 77.7%
• Median value of owner-occupied housing units (2018–2022, in 2022 dollars): $214,400
• Median gross rent (2018–2022, in 2022 dollars): $789
• Housing units (2023): 2,396

For local government and planning resources, visit the McCook County official website.

McCook County is a largely rural county in southeastern South Dakota; lower population density and longer “last‑mile” distances tend to make fixed broadband deployment and maintenance more challenging, influencing how reliably residents can use email for work, school, and services.

Direct county-level email usage statistics are not routinely published, so email access trends are inferred from digital access proxies. The most relevant indicators are household broadband subscription and computer availability reported by the U.S. Census Bureau (data.census.gov) and the Bureau’s American Community Survey; these measures closely track residents’ ability to create accounts, authenticate, and exchange messages online.

Age distribution also affects adoption: counties with larger shares of older adults typically show lower broadband subscription and computer use, which can reduce routine email engagement relative to places with more working-age residents. Gender distribution is generally a weaker predictor of email adoption than age and connectivity, and is more often relevant through differences in occupation and caregiving roles than access itself.

Infrastructure constraints are reflected in federal mapping and program data, including the FCC National Broadband Map, which documents service availability and speeds that shape practical email reliability (especially for attachments and multi-factor authentication).

McCook County is in southeastern South Dakota, anchored by Salem (the county seat) and adjacent to the Sioux Falls metro area to the northeast. It is predominantly rural and agricultural, with small towns separated by open farmland and low population density compared with urban counties. These characteristics tend to increase the cost per covered user for cell sites and can make in-building coverage and backhaul capacity more variable outside town centers.

Data availability and important distinctions

County-level measurement is uneven across topics:

• Network availability (supply-side) is best documented through federal broadband availability datasets that map where mobile providers report service.
• Household/device adoption (demand-side) is typically measured in household surveys and is often more reliable at state, metro, or tract levels than at the county level due to sample size limitations.

Where McCook County–specific adoption figures are not published or are statistically unreliable, the overview relies on South Dakota or tract-level indicators and explicitly notes those limits.

Mobile network availability in McCook County (coverage vs adoption)

Availability (reported coverage):

• The primary public source for county-level mobile broadband availability is the FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC), which reports provider-submitted coverage polygons for mobile voice and mobile broadband by technology and speed tiers. The BDC supports map views and downloadable data suitable for county summaries. See the FCC’s tools and documentation on the FCC National Broadband Map and the associated FCC Broadband Data Collection program page.
• In rural counties like McCook, reported 4G LTE availability is commonly widespread along highways and in population centers, with coverage gaps and weaker signal more likely in sparsely populated areas and indoors. The exact extent within McCook County depends on carrier-reported polygons in the FCC BDC and should be verified directly in the FCC map layers rather than inferred from state averages.

Adoption (actual use/subscription):

• The FCC map and BDC are not measures of whether households subscribe to mobile service. Adoption is better represented by household survey estimates and subscription measures (often fixed broadband-focused) and by device ownership measures. County-level “mobile subscription” rates are not consistently published in a single authoritative dataset for all counties.

Mobile penetration or access indicators (where available)

Household device ownership and internet subscription indicators:

• The most widely used public dataset for local “access” indicators is the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). ACS tables include:
  • Computer/device types in the household (including “smartphone” as a device category).
  • Internet subscription types (including “cellular data plan” as an internet subscription type).
• These indicators can be retrieved for McCook County (when available with acceptable margins of error) through the Census.gov data portal. The ACS is a survey; small-county estimates can carry large margins of error, and some detailed breakouts may be limited.

Program and planning context (statewide sources that support local interpretation):

• South Dakota’s statewide broadband planning and mapping resources provide context on infrastructure and coverage priorities, though they are not a direct substitute for county adoption measurement. See the South Dakota broadband office for statewide initiatives, mapping links, and planning documents.

Mobile internet usage patterns (4G vs 5G availability)

4G LTE:

• 4G LTE is generally the baseline mobile broadband technology across rural South Dakota. In a county such as McCook, LTE availability is typically strongest in and near Salem and along major roads, with more variability across open farmland and at building interiors due to distance from towers and terrain/vegetation patterns.
• The FCC BDC is the primary public reference for carrier-reported LTE coverage footprints within the county. See the technology layers on the FCC National Broadband Map.

5G (availability vs typical experience):

• County-level 5G availability can be checked in the FCC map layers, which may show 5G coverage reported by carriers. In rural counties, 5G (especially mid-band and high-band) is often more limited than LTE, with coverage concentrated near towns, higher-traffic corridors, and areas where carriers have upgraded radio equipment and backhaul.
• Public datasets generally do not provide countywide, carrier-neutral measurements of realized 5G speeds and latency at high confidence. Crowdsourced speed-test platforms exist but are not official measures and can be biased by where tests occur (town centers vs rural roads).

Usage patterns (limits):

• There is no standard, authoritative county-level public dataset that breaks out “mobile internet usage patterns” (such as share of users primarily on cellular vs Wi‑Fi, or traffic shares by 4G vs 5G) for McCook County. The most defensible approach is to separate:
  • Availability (FCC-reported coverage by technology), and
  • Adoption and device ownership (ACS household indicators), rather than infer behavioral patterns without measured data.

Common device types (smartphones vs other devices)

What can be measured:

• The ACS includes household device categories that can indicate the prevalence of smartphones versus other device types (desktop/laptop/tablet) and whether a household has no computing device. These data are accessible via Census.gov and are among the few standardized sources that can be queried at the county level.

Interpretation limits:

• ACS device ownership indicates whether a household has a smartphone, not whether smartphones are the primary means of internet access or how many individuals use them.
• Carrier or manufacturer market share by device type is not published at the county level in a consistent, public, non-proprietary form.

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage in McCook County

Population density and settlement pattern:

• Low density and dispersed farmsteads tend to reduce the economic efficiency of dense cell-site grids, which can lead to:
  • Greater distances to towers,
  • More variable in-building coverage,
  • Greater dependence on sub‑1 GHz spectrum bands for coverage rather than capacity.
• Town centers typically show stronger, more consistent service than rural areas between towns due to site placement and backhaul availability.

Proximity to regional hubs:

• Being in southeastern South Dakota and relatively near the Sioux Falls region can influence investment patterns along major routes and near population centers, though this effect is best assessed using the FCC availability layers rather than assumed uniformly across the county.

Socioeconomic and age-related factors (best measured via ACS):

• Smartphone ownership and cellular-data-plan reliance often correlate with age distribution, income, and household composition. For McCook County, these relationships should be evaluated using county or tract estimates from the ACS on Census.gov, with attention to margins of error.

Clear separation: network availability vs household adoption

• Network availability in McCook County: Best assessed using provider-reported coverage by technology and speed tiers in the FCC National Broadband Map. This describes where service is claimed to be offered, not whether residents subscribe or receive consistent performance indoors.
• Household adoption in McCook County: Best assessed using household survey indicators (device ownership and internet subscription types) in the U.S. Census Bureau ACS via Census.gov. These describe household access and subscriptions, not signal strength, outdoor/indoor coverage quality, or peak-time network capacity.

Key limitations specific to county-level analysis

• Small-sample survey uncertainty: ACS estimates for sparsely populated counties can have large margins of error, especially for detailed subgroups.
• Provider-reported availability: FCC BDC availability is carrier-reported and may differ from on-the-ground experience; it also does not measure congestion, indoor coverage quality, or reliability.
• Lack of standardized county usage telemetry: Public, authoritative datasets rarely provide county-level breakdowns of actual mobile traffic, time-on-network by technology generation, or smartphone-only dependence beyond ACS subscription/device indicators.

McCook County is a small, predominantly rural county in southeastern South Dakota, anchored by Salem (the county seat) and located within commuting distance of the Sioux Falls metro area. Local life is shaped by agriculture and small-town civic institutions, while proximity to Sioux Falls employment and services can increase reliance on digital communication for news, community coordination, and commerce.

User statistics (penetration and active use)

• No county-specific social media penetration dataset is published in major national surveys; the most defensible approach is to contextualize McCook County using U.S.- and Midwest-level benchmarks and rural-demographic patterns.
• Nationally, about 7 in 10 U.S. adults use social media according to Pew Research Center’s Social Media Fact Sheet.
• Social media use is lower in rural areas than suburban/urban areas, and varies by age and education; Pew’s reporting shows persistent geographic differences in adoption and intensity across platforms (see the same Pew Research Center summary and associated methodological notes).

Age group trends (highest-using cohorts)

Patterns consistently documented in U.S. surveys align with rural counties like McCook:

• 18–29: highest overall adoption and multi-platform use; heavy use of visually oriented and short-form video apps.
• 30–49: broad adoption; frequent use of Facebook and YouTube, plus growing use of Instagram.
• 50–64: moderate-to-high use, concentrated on Facebook and YouTube.
• 65+: lowest overall use, but Facebook and YouTube remain the most common among users in this cohort. Source baseline: Pew Research Center (U.S. adults by age).

Gender breakdown

Across major platforms, gender composition tends to be platform-specific rather than uniformly higher for one gender across all social media:

• Women are more represented on platforms such as Pinterest and are slightly more likely to report using some social platforms in several Pew cuts.
• Men are more represented on platforms such as Reddit and, in some survey cuts, more likely to use YouTube at similar or slightly higher rates. Source baseline: Pew Research Center platform-by-platform demographic tables.

Most-used platforms (U.S. benchmarks)

County-level platform share is not published in standard public datasets, but the most commonly used platforms nationally provide the best available proxy for relative ranking in rural counties:

• YouTube and Facebook typically rank as the top two platforms by reach among U.S. adults.
• Instagram follows, with substantial use among adults under 50.
• Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and Snapchat have more distinct age and gender skews. For current platform reach percentages and demographic cross-tabs, reference Pew Research Center’s regularly updated platform usage estimates.

Behavioral trends (engagement and preferences)

Behavioral patterns most consistent with rural, small-population counties and supported by national research include:

• Community and local-information use: Facebook Groups and local pages commonly function as de facto community bulletin boards (events, school activities, local business updates, municipal alerts).
• Video-centered consumption: YouTube usage is widespread across age groups; engagement skews toward “how-to,” news, weather, sports highlights, and locally relevant content.
• Messaging and lightweight interaction: Direct messaging and comment-based interactions often substitute for in-person coordination across dispersed rural households.
• Short-form video growth among younger adults: TikTok and Instagram Reels usage is concentrated in younger cohorts, with higher daily frequency than text-forward platforms.
• Platform preference by purpose:
  • Facebook: local community news, events, buy/sell, family networks
  • YouTube: entertainment and information seeking
  • Instagram/TikTok: creator-driven and short-form entertainment (younger skew)
  • LinkedIn: employment/professional networking (lower penetration in rural areas overall, higher among degree holders) Primary benchmark source: Pew Research Center social media usage research.

McCook County, South Dakota maintains limited family and associate-related records at the county level, while most vital events are recorded by the State of South Dakota. Birth and death records are state vital records; McCook County offices generally do not issue certified birth certificates, and death certificates are issued through the state except for locally filed documentation associated with estates. Adoption records are handled through the courts and state systems and are not available as open public records.

Publicly accessible county records related to family and associates typically include marriage records (marriage licenses/returns) and divorce case filings (court records), plus probate, guardianship, and name-change matters. Deeds and property records can also indicate family relationships through conveyances.

Online access is commonly available for court case indexes through the South Dakota Unified Judicial System’s public access portal (South Dakota UJS Public Access). McCook County administrative contacts and in-person access points include the county Register of Deeds and other offices listed on the official county site (McCook County, SD (Official Website)). The McCook County Register of Deeds is the local custodian for recorded documents such as marriage licenses and real estate instruments (McCook County Register of Deeds).

Privacy restrictions commonly apply to vital records (birth/death), adoption files, juvenile matters, and certain sealed court records; public terminals or request forms may be required for non-digitized records.

Types of records available

• Marriage records

  • Marriage license and marriage application: Issued by the county register of deeds; used to authorize a marriage within South Dakota.
  • Marriage certificate / marriage return: The completed license (often called the “return”) signed by the officiant and filed back with the county, creating the official county marriage record.
  • Marriage record copies: Certified and non-certified copies may be available depending on the requester’s eligibility under state law.

• Divorce records

  • Divorce case file (court record): Includes pleadings, orders, findings of fact and conclusions of law, settlement agreements, parenting plans (when applicable), and the final judgment.
  • Divorce decree / judgment of divorce: The final court order dissolving the marriage; maintained by the Clerk of Courts as part of the case file.
  • State vital record index (divorce certificate/report): South Dakota maintains statewide divorce data through its vital records system, derived from court reporting.

• Annulment records

  • Annulment case file and decree/judgment: Annulments are handled as court matters; records are maintained similarly to divorce case files by the Clerk of Courts.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

• Marriage records (county level)

  • Filed with: McCook County Register of Deeds (marriage licenses are issued and returned to this office).
  • Access:
    • Copies are requested through the McCook County Register of Deeds.
    • Older records may also be available through statewide resources and archives depending on the record type and date.

• Divorce and annulment records (court level)

  • Filed with: McCook County Clerk of Courts (part of South Dakota’s unified court system). The Clerk maintains the official case file and final judgment/decree.
  • Access:
    • Public access to court records is governed by South Dakota court rules and the court’s access systems and procedures.
    • Requesters typically obtain copies from the Clerk of Courts in the county where the case was filed.

• Statewide vital records

  • Maintained by: South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (state-level birth, death, and marriage records; and divorce reporting maintained under state vital records administration).
  • Access:
    • Certified copies and eligible-requester rules are handled by the Office of Vital Records under state law and administrative policy.
  • Reference: South Dakota Department of Health

Typical information included in these records

• Marriage license / certificate

  • Full names of both parties (including prior names as recorded)
  • Date and place of marriage (or intended place on the application)
  • Ages and/or dates of birth (as recorded on the application)
  • Current residence addresses and places of birth (commonly recorded)
  • Officiant name/title and certification
  • Date the license was issued and date returned/filed
  • Witness information (when included on the form used)

• Divorce decree / judgment and case file

  • Names of parties and case number; filing and judgment dates
  • Court findings and legal grounds (as stated in pleadings/orders)
  • Orders on division of property and debts
  • Spousal support (alimony) determinations (when ordered)
  • Child custody, parenting time, and child support terms (when applicable)
  • Name changes ordered by the court (when requested and granted)
  • Related protective orders or contempt orders may appear in the case record when filed in the matter

• Annulment decree / judgment and case file

  • Names of parties and case number; filing and judgment dates
  • Court findings supporting annulment and resulting legal status
  • Orders addressing property, support, and children (when applicable)

Privacy or legal restrictions

• Marriage records

  • South Dakota treats certified vital records as controlled documents; access to certified copies is generally limited to the individuals named on the record and other requesters with a legally recognized, direct and tangible interest under state rules.
  • Non-certified/informational copies and inspection rules may vary by record type, age of record, and the office’s procedures.

• Divorce and annulment court records

  • Court records are generally subject to public access rules, but specific documents and data elements may be confidential or restricted, including:
    • Sealed cases or sealed filings by court order
    • Sensitive personal identifiers (such as Social Security numbers and financial account numbers)
    • Certain information involving minors, child abuse/neglect matters, and protective-order related materials, depending on filing type and governing rules
  • Copies are released subject to South Dakota court rules on public access, redaction, and confidentiality.

• State vital records (divorce reporting)

  • State-level divorce data held by vital records is administered under vital records confidentiality and eligibility rules; certified copies are restricted by statute and administrative rule.

McCook County is in southeastern South Dakota, bordering Minnehaha County (Sioux Falls area) to the north. It is a small, predominantly rural county anchored by Salem (county seat) and connected to regional job and retail centers via Interstate 90. Population size and many county indicators are typically drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) and state administrative reporting; several school- and housing-market measures are reported at the district/city level rather than the county level.

Education Indicators

Public schools (count and names)

Public K–12 education in McCook County is primarily provided through the McCook Central School District (Salem) and, depending on residence, some students attend adjacent-area districts near county boundaries. Commonly listed McCook Central facilities include:

• McCook Central Elementary School (Salem)
• McCook Central Middle School (Salem)
• McCook Central High School (Salem)

School counts and exact building names can vary by reporting year and consolidation; the most authoritative directory sources are the South Dakota Department of Education district/school listings and the NCES public school directory:

• South Dakota Department of Education: district and school information
• National Center for Education Statistics: NCES school search

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

• Student–teacher ratio: This is typically reported at the district level in state report cards rather than as a county aggregate. For McCook County, the relevant reference is the McCook Central School District profile in South Dakota’s accountability/report card resources (district staffing and enrollment-based ratios).
• Graduation rate: South Dakota reports four-year cohort graduation rates at the high school/district level (McCook Central High School / district). County-level graduation rates are not standard in official K–12 reporting.

Primary references:

• South Dakota accountability/report cards: South Dakota school/district report cards

Adult educational attainment (county-level)

Adult educational attainment is consistently available from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (5-year estimates) for McCook County, including:

• High school graduate or higher (age 25+)
• Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+)

Most recent county-level attainment should be cited from:

• data.census.gov (ACS educational attainment tables)

Notable programs (STEM, vocational, AP)

Program availability is generally determined by district course catalogs and state CTE participation reporting rather than county tabulations. In rural South Dakota districts such as McCook Central, commonly documented offerings (when present) include:

• Career & Technical Education (CTE) pathways aligned with state CTE standards (often including agriculture, business, family & consumer sciences, or skilled/technical coursework, depending on staffing and facilities)
• Dual credit/dual enrollment options offered through regional postsecondary partners (varies by year)
• Advanced coursework (Advanced Placement and/or honors courses), where staffing and enrollment support it

Authoritative sources:

• South Dakota CTE information
• District publications (course catalog/handbook), typically posted on the district website

School safety measures and counseling resources

Safety and student supports are usually documented in district handbooks and state guidance rather than in county datasets. Standard measures in South Dakota public schools often include:

• Visitor management and controlled entry during school hours
• Emergency operations plans and required drills (fire, severe weather, lockdown)
• Coordination with local law enforcement and emergency management
• Student support services such as school counseling; in smaller districts, counseling capacity may be shared across grade levels

State-level reference for school safety planning and guidance:

• South Dakota Safe Schools resources

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent)

The most comparable and regularly updated unemployment measures are produced by:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) for county unemployment rates
  Primary source:
• BLS LAUS (county unemployment)

McCook County’s unemployment rate should be reported from the most recent annual average or latest monthly estimate available in LAUS; South Dakota counties generally experience low unemployment relative to U.S. averages, but the exact value varies by year.

Major industries and sectors

County industry composition is available through the ACS (industry by occupation/industry tables) and state labor market profiles. In southeastern South Dakota’s rural counties, the largest sectors commonly include:

• Educational services, health care, and social assistance
• Retail trade
• Manufacturing (regionally significant in parts of southeastern SD)
• Construction
• Agriculture (often important in land use and proprietorship income, though not always the largest wage-and-salary sector)

References:

• ACS industry tables at data.census.gov
• South Dakota labor market information: SD Department of Labor and Regulation LMI

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

Occupational distributions are also best sourced from the ACS (e.g., management, sales/office, production, transportation, construction, education/healthcare, service occupations). Rural county profiles typically show:

• A substantial share in education/healthcare and sales/office/service
• A meaningful share in construction, production, and transportation
• Smaller—but locally important—shares in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

Reference:

• ACS occupation tables at data.census.gov

Commuting patterns and mean commute time

Commute characteristics are available from the ACS, including:

• Mean travel time to work
• Mode of commuting (drive alone, carpool, etc.)
• Place of work (worked in county of residence vs. outside)

Given proximity to Minnehaha County and the Sioux Falls labor market, out-of-county commuting is a common pattern for some residents, particularly along the I‑90 corridor. The exact mean commute time and share working outside the county should be taken from the most recent ACS 5‑year tables:

• ACS commuting (journey-to-work) tables

Local employment vs. out-of-county work

The ACS “place of work” measures quantify:

• Worked in county of residence
• Worked outside county
• Worked outside state (typically smaller share)

McCook County’s integration with nearby counties makes this metric especially relevant; the definitive shares are available via ACS 5‑year estimates.

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership rate and rental share

Owner-occupied vs. renter-occupied housing shares are available from the ACS (tenure). Rural South Dakota counties commonly have higher homeownership rates than large metro cores, with rentals concentrated in the county seat and small multifamily properties.

Reference:

• ACS housing tenure tables

Median property values and recent trends

• Median home value (owner-occupied): available from ACS for McCook County.
• Recent trends: ACS provides multi-year snapshots; market-trend detail (year-to-year pricing, inventory, days on market) is usually more precise from local MLS summaries, which are not consistently available as standardized countywide public data.

Reference:

• ACS median home value tables

Typical rent prices

Median gross rent is available from the ACS and is generally the most consistent public statistic for county-level rents.

Reference:

• ACS median gross rent tables

Types of housing

McCook County’s housing stock is typically characterized by:

• Single-family detached homes in Salem and smaller communities
• A limited supply of small apartment buildings and duplexes, primarily in town
• Rural housing on larger lots/acreages, including farm-adjacent residences

These characteristics align with rural county housing patterns; the ACS provides structure type distributions (1-unit detached, 1-unit attached, 2–4 units, 5+ units, mobile homes, etc.).

Reference:

• ACS housing structure type tables

Neighborhood characteristics (proximity to schools/amenities)

• Salem typically concentrates county services (schools, county offices, basic retail, parks) within short driving distances.
• Rural residences generally involve longer drives to schools, groceries, and healthcare, with access shaped by state highways and I‑90 connectivity.

Quantitative “walkability” or neighborhood amenity indices are not part of standard federal county datasets; proximity is usually described through municipal layout and travel times rather than a single official statistic.

Property tax overview (rate and typical homeowner cost)

South Dakota property taxes are administered locally with state oversight; effective tax burdens vary by valuation changes and local levies (school, county, municipal, and other districts). The most consistent public measures include:

• Median real estate taxes paid (ACS)
• County and state property tax summaries from the South Dakota Department of Revenue

References:

• ACS real estate taxes paid tables
• South Dakota Department of Revenue (property tax)

Note on precision: “Average property tax rate” is not uniformly published as a single countywide official rate because levies and effective rates differ by taxing district and property class; median taxes paid and state/county levy summaries are the most defensible public proxies.