South Dakota · County property tax · ACS 2024
Clay County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Clay County pays $2,937 a year, an effective rate of 1.26%, well above the U.S. average.
- $2,937
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.26%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +47%
- vs U.S. average
- #11 of 66
- rank in SD
The verdict
Homeowners in Clay County pay a median $2,937 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.26%, more affordable than 21% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,937
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.26%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2487 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +47%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($232,300). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Dakota. Population: 15,219. Owner-occupied homes: 2,819.
The median annual property tax in Clay County is $2,937, which is 8% higher than the South Dakota state average and 47% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.26% on a median home value of $232,300. Property taxes represent 5.2% of the median household income in this county.
Clay County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Clay County's 1.26% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 21%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in Clay County pay a median annual property tax of $2,937, well above the national median and modestly above the South Dakota state median. On a $232,300 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.26% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Income carries a heavy tax share
Property taxes in Clay County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 5.2% of the $56,850 median household income.
Decision signal 4
Low among South Dakota counties by effective rate
Clay County ranks #11 of 66 counties in South Dakota by effective rate (83% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Clay 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Clay County's effective rate fell 14.7% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 38.2%, leaving the median bill 17.9% higher at $2,937. That rate move is larger than the one in 62% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
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 $2,491 to $2,937, a gain of 18%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 1,309 of 2,819 owner-occupied homes (46.4%) report annual real-estate taxes above $3,000. That band has no upper edge in the source, so the county median understates the burden carried by the plurality rather than describing it.
A top-quartile rate meets below-median earnings here, and the median bill reaches 5.2% of median household income. A rate ranking places this county by the rate alone; the ratio above is the figure that accounts for what is earned here.
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 Clay County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Clay County homeowners, 1,309 of 2,819 owner-occupied homes (46.4%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 6.7% (189)
- $800 to $1,499 12.4% (349)
- $1,500 to $1,999 10.2% (288)
- $2,000 to $2,999 19.6% (553)
- $3,000 or more 46.4% (1,309)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
131 homes here (4.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how South Dakota handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Clay County pay about the same bill, within a 3% gap either way.
Clay County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Clay County's effective rate is higher than 83% of the 66 counties in South Dakota - ranking #11 of 66.
Where Clay County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.26% more affordable than 21% 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
Same bill as South Dakota, a higher rate
The median bill lands within 8% of the South Dakota median while the effective rate runs 19% above it. The two offset each other: a steeper rate applied to less valuable housing arrives at roughly the state's own $2,937. A rate ranking would place this county far from the middle; the bill does not.
Clay County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Clay County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Highest-decile income burden | 5.2% | - | - |
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.
Clay County is PAR · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · South Dakota counties.
Clay County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,937 +2.0% | 1.26% |
| 2023 | $2,879 +6.0% | 1.30% |
| 2022 | $2,717 +7.1% | 1.30% |
| 2021 | $2,537 +1.8% | 1.42% |
| 2020 | $2,491 | 1.48% |
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.
Clay County: tax takes 5.2% of income
Counties near Clay County's effective rate
On effective rate, Clay County sits nearest Wayne County (PA), Stanton County (NE), Banner County (NE).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Effingham County (IL), Pondera County (MT), Mason 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
Clay County: only 3% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 140 of 5,540 returns from Clay County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,200 - 36% of those reporters sat in the $50-75k AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in South Dakota
Clay County rate FAQs
- What is the tax affordability score for Clay County?
- Clay County, South Dakota scores F (27/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is mortgage premium at A+ ($-82). 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 Clay County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Clay County run well above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.26% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Clay County, South Dakota?
- The median annual property tax in Clay County is $2,937, an effective rate of 1.26% on a $232,300 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Clay County?
- Property taxes in Clay County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 5.2% of the $56,850 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Clay County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Clay County climbed 17.9% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,491 to $2,937, 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 Clay County's PAR rate
Clay County's $2,937 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
Income burden is elevated here: about 5.2% of Clay County's $56,850 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Clay County's PAR 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: 1.26%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,937/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Clay County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Clay County (PAR · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR MID
Arapahoe County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,938/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.52% vs Clay County 1.26%.
Androscoggin County, ME
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,940/yr (near-tied bill ABS $3); rate 1.16% vs Clay County 1.26%.
Clay County, MO
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,941/yr (near-tied bill ABS $4); rate 1.07% vs Clay County 1.26%.
Lampasas County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,929/yr (near-tied bill ABS $8); rate 1.17% vs Clay County 1.26%.
South Dakota county set
State ACS overview for every published South Dakota county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Clay County stamps PAR · MID - 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 Clay County (PAR · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.