Taxes & Insurance in Killeen
Texas's no-state-income-tax, property-tax-carries-the-load structure applies fully in Killeen. Bell County's own effective rate (1.46%) runs just below the Texas median, but Killeen's combined city+county+school+community-college rate (~1.98%) and homeowners insurance costs (~5% above the Texas average) both run meaningfully above the national median.
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Learn moreNo state income tax, real combined property tax load
Texas levies no state personal income tax, applying uniformly in Killeen. Bell County's own 2026 effective property tax rate is 1.46%, just below the Texas statewide median of 1.48%. But the typical Killeen homeowner's COMBINED rate -- across Killeen ISD, the City of Killeen, Bell County, and Central Texas College -- runs approximately 1.98% of taxable value, with most Killeen-area total annual bills falling between $3,800 and $9,000 depending on home value and exemptions. Verify a specific taxing-entity rate directly against the Bell County Appraisal District (bellcad.org) before relying on any single number -- this record found a real, disclosed inconsistency in how one specific $0.8778/$100 rate was attributed across two different search summaries.
No coastal windstorm layer -- Central Texas hail/tornado risk drives above-average premiums instead
Killeen is well inland and carries no TWIA-style coastal windstorm-pool requirement (unlike Gulf Coast Texas markets). Standard homeowners insurance here averages $5,063/year, about 5% above the cited Texas state average of $4,800/year -- for a more typical $250,000-$350,000 home, expect a $2,500-$4,000/year range. Rates have been rising 5-10% per year in Central Texas due to hail and severe-storm risk, and Killeen lies near the southern edge of Tornado Alley.
Key takeaways
- Texas's no state income tax applies fully in Killeen; property tax carries more of the funding load in its place.
- Bell County's own effective rate is 1.46% (just below the Texas median of 1.48%), but Killeen's COMBINED rate across city, county, school district, and community college runs approximately 1.98% -- verify a specific taxing entity's rate directly.
- Killeen carries no TWIA-style coastal windstorm-insurance requirement -- standard homeowners insurance averages $5,063/year, about 5% above the Texas state average, driven by Central Texas hail/severe-thunderstorm risk.
- Central Texas homeowners insurance rates have risen 5-10% per year recently due to hail and severe-storm risk.
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