Equalized property values increased statewide in Wisconsin by 5.6% to $613.1 billion in 2020, the second-largest yearly percentage increase in more than a decade.

The findings come from the Wisconsin Policy Forum’s new 2020 Property Values and Taxes DataTool, which features data for all of the state’s 72 counties and 1,852 cities, villages, and towns. It is the latest in a series of Forum interactives meant to provide Wisconsinites with relevant facts about their economy, schools, and local governments.

This tool uses state Department of Revenue data on updated property values as of January 2020 that will be reflected on tax bills this December. These figures reflect conditions before the COVID-19 pandemic and do not capture any potential impacts of the ensuing economic downturn. Rather, they serve as a snapshot of where property values stood just before the crisis began.

The 2020 increase in statewide property values was only slightly less than last year’s 5.7% increase, the largest in more than a decade. The seven-county southeastern Wisconsin region saw values of all property types increase for the seventh consecutive year, with the 2020 growth rate of 5.8% the highest in more than a decade. Every county in the region saw an increase, led by Racine County at 9.3%. Meanwhile in Dane County, property values grew by 6.2% in 2020.