Census-designated place Otter Lake is a census-designated place in Indiana, in Steuben County. A census-designated place is an unincorporated community that the Census Bureau defines for statistics; it has no city government of its own.
The Census Bureau does not publish a reliable median property tax bill for Otter Lake. The Census estimate of the median home value is too imprecise to report.
| Measure | Otter Lake | Indiana | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 297 ± 203 | 6,811,752 | 332,387,540 |
| Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) | Too imprecise to report (estimate $952, margin of error ± $570) | $1,496 ± $7 | $2,969 ± $3 |
| Median home value | Too imprecise to report (estimate $242,200, margin of error ± $135,174) | $201,600 ± $922 | $303,400 ± $362 |
| Median household income | Too imprecise to report (estimate $153,162, margin of error ± $103,205) | $70,051 ± $293 | $78,538 ± $176 |
| Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) | Too imprecise to report (estimate 0.39%, margin of error ± 0.32 points) | 0.74% ± under 0.01 points | 0.98% ± under 0.01 points |
| Homes lived in by their owners | Too imprecise to report (estimate 100.0%, margin of error ± 74.4 points) | 70.4% ± 0.4 points | 65.0% ± 0.3 points |
| Owner households headed by someone 65 or older | Too imprecise to report (estimate 50.5%, margin of error ± 29.7 points) | 30.5% ± 0.1 points | 32.6% ± 0.2 points |
| Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs | Too imprecise to report (estimate 20.6%, margin of error ± 38.9 points) | 16.2% ± 0.2 points | 22.2% ± 0.1 points |
How to read these numbers
- These are estimates from a survey, not a count. The American Community Survey asks a sample of households. The ± figure is the Census Bureau’s margin of error: the true value is very likely within that range of the estimate. Small places have large margins.
- “Too imprecise to report” means the margin of error is at least half of the estimate, so printing the number would suggest accuracy that does not exist. A “rough guide only” note means the margin is a quarter to a half of the estimate.
- Property tax bill and home value are medians for owner-occupied homes. Half of the homes are above the figure and half below. A median bill is not the rate set by a city or town; the bill combines taxes levied by every local government that serves the home, such as the school district and county.
- “Calculated” rows are worked out by Untax the Roof from the Census figures above them. They compare two medians, so they describe the place, not a particular household.
- Missing is not zero. Where the Census Bureau publishes no figure, this page says so.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2019–2023: tables B25103 (real estate taxes), B25077 (home value), B19013 (household income), B01003 (population), B25003 (owners and renters), B25007 (age of householder), B25091 (housing costs as a share of income); see the Census ACS data page.
If property taxes go unpaid in Indiana
How it works. County tax sale creates certificate; unredeemed property proceeds through petition/court order to tax deed
Excess sale money. County maintains a tax-sale surplus fund. Owner of record divested by tax deed may file a verified claim for qualifying surplus; unclaimed amounts remaining 3 years transfer to county general fund under SBOA guidance citing IC 6-1.1-24-7
These rules are set by Indiana, not by Otter Lake, so this section is the same for every place in the state. Last verified 2026-09-25. See the full Indiana entry with statute links.