Missouri · County property tax · ACS 2024
Benton County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Benton County pays $937 a year, an effective rate of 0.53%, far below the U.S. average.
- $937
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.53%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -53%
- vs U.S. average
- #97 of 115
- rank in MO
The verdict
Homeowners in Benton County pay a median $937 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.53%, more affordable than 80% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $937
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.53%
- Effective rate on median home
- #619 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -53%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($177,900). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Missouri. Population: 20,151. Owner-occupied homes: 7,187.
The median annual property tax in Benton County is $937, which is 52% lower than the Missouri state average and 53% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.53% on a median home value of $177,900. Property taxes represent 1.8% of the median household income in this county.
Benton County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Benton County's 0.53% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 80%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Benton County pay a median annual property tax of $937, far below the national median and far below the Missouri state median. On a $177,900 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.53% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Missouri counties by effective rate
Benton County ranks #97 of 115 counties in Missouri by effective rate (16% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Benton County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.8% of the $52,567 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Benton County as reported to the Census Bureau; your parcel can differ. Not tax, legal, or financial advice: check the county assessor or a qualified professional before decisions that depend on these numbers.
The rate gave way faster than almost anywhere
Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Benton County rose 45.1%, from $122,600 to $177,900. The effective rate fell 21.4% over the same span, a steeper move than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 14.0%, to $937. Where the rate drops this far and the bill rises anyway, what changed is the value the rate is applied to.
Effective rate is the published median bill divided by the published median home value, so the two multiply back to the bill exactly; the rate's movement here is derived from those two figures rather than read from the rounded published rate. Both are ACS 5-year survey estimates for the median owner-occupied household, compared across non-overlapping releases. They describe what the Census published, not a local policy, assessment, or exemption change.
How to read this county's bill
Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $822 to $937, a gain of 14%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 2,907 of 7,187 owner-occupied homes (40.4%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
Both sides of this comparison sit low: household income here is in the bottom quarter of US counties, and so is the effective tax rate. The median bill works out at 1.8% of median household income, which is the arithmetic of a modest levy on modest earnings rather than of any deliberate relief.
The share above is the median annual bill divided by median household income, a ratio of two county-level medians rather than a household-by-household figure.
What Benton County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Benton County homeowners, 2,907 of 7,187 owner-occupied homes (40.4%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 40.4% (2,907)
- $800 to $1,499 30.8% (2,212)
- $1,500 to $1,999 11.2% (804)
- $2,000 to $2,999 9.2% (660)
- $3,000 or more 4.0% (289)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
315 homes here (4.4%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Missouri handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Benton County pay about the same bill, a 7% gap.
Benton County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Benton County's effective rate is higher than 16% of the 115 counties in Missouri - ranking #97 of 115.
Where Benton County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.53% Among the most affordable more affordable than 80% of 3,135 U.S. counties
Show national distribution
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more U.S. counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024
Below Missouri on both measures
Benton County's effective rate runs 38% under the Missouri median and its bill 52% under. Both sitting on the same side means the gap is not a valuation artefact: a county can post a low rate purely because its homes are expensive, but then the bill rises to meet the state. Here it does not, so the $937 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Missouri norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Benton County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Benton County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 1.8% | - | - |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates. Tax-burden differences across rows reflect millage decisions, assessment-ratio practices, and the residential-vs-commercial mix of each tax base.
Benton County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Missouri counties.
Benton County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $937 +2.1% | 0.53% |
| 2023 | $918 +2.2% | 0.56% |
| 2022 | $898 +10.6% | 0.58% |
| 2021 | $812 -1.2% | 0.62% |
| 2020 | $822 | 0.67% |
Each row is a separate ACS 5-year release, and consecutive releases share four of their five survey years. The percentage beside each bill is therefore movement in the published estimate against the previous release, not a single year's tax change. The two releases largely describe the same households. For change over time, compare releases that do not overlap.
Benton County: tax takes only 1.8% of income
Counties near Benton County's effective rate
On effective rate, Benton County sits nearest Tunica County (MS), Carroll County (MS), Vernon Parish (LA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Marathon County (WI), St. Bernard Parish (LA), Meade County (KY).
How peers are chosen
These are the nearest cross-state matches in the published Census data, not neighboring counties or recommendations. Peers are rebuilt with each data release; see the calculation method.
Similar effective rates
Similar published median-tax changes, 2020–2024
Benton County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 190 of 8,990 returns from Benton County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,289 - 37% of those reporters sat in the $100-200k AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Missouri
Benton County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Benton County?
- Benton County, Missouri scores B (74/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A- (+$63). The score compares published county medians to U.S. percentiles, it is not a personal bill and not advice to buy, sell, appeal, or relocate.
- How does Benton County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Benton County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.53% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Benton County, Missouri?
- The median annual property tax in Benton County is $937, an effective rate of 0.53% on a $177,900 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Benton County?
- Property taxes in Benton County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.8% of the $52,567 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Benton County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Benton County climbed 14.0% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $822 to $937, a 4-year span. These are survey estimates covering five years each, so this compares the two releases furthest apart rather than consecutive ones, which overlap and would mostly measure the same households twice.
What to do with Benton County's QUIET rate
Benton County's $937 median bill sits well below the U.S. median - still size a parcel estimate; local millage and exemptions move the real bill. Estimate your bill →
Income burden is light here: about 1.8% of Benton County's $52,567 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Benton County's QUIET effective rate, then a disjoint out-of-state bill set so the two neighborhoods stay distinct.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 0.53%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $937/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Benton County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Benton County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Clay County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Benton County at $937/yr; rate 0.99% vs Benton County 0.53%.
Cameron Parish, LA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $936/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.46% vs Benton County 0.53%.
Chaves County, NM
ABS(median_tax) peer · $935/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.60% vs Benton County 0.53%.
Dickens County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $939/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.44% vs Benton County 0.53%.
Missouri county set
State ACS overview for every published Missouri county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Benton County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - how assessed value and millage become the ACS median bill.
Data vintage and method
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Property tax data reflects median amounts paid by homeowners. Effective rates are calculated as median tax divided by median home value.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, county median real-estate taxes · 2024 Benton County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.