Texas · County property tax · ACS 2024
Clay County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Clay County pays $2,182 a year, an effective rate of 1.27%, modestly above the U.S. average.
- $2,182
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 1.27%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +9%
- vs U.S. average
- #100 of 250
- rank in TX
The verdict
Homeowners in Clay County pay a median $2,182 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.27%, more affordable than 20% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $2,182
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.27%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2505 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +9%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($171,500). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Clay County, TX
32/100
5 ACS dimensions · release 2024
Comparative score against U.S. county percentiles on Census ACS medians (effective rate, bill, income share, mortgage gap, home-value/income). Higher means more affordable on those published medians, not a recommendation to buy, sell, appeal, or move, and not your personal tax bill. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.
Median home value relative to Clay County's median income
Median tax as a share of Clay County's median household income
Clay County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Clay County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Clay County
Read the chart values
- Housing pressure: 84/100 (A-) · 2.14×
- Income room: 43/100 (D) · 2.7%
- Bill size: 33/100 (F) · $2,182/yr
- Rate relief: 20/100 (F) · 1.27%
- Mortgage premium: 4/100 (F) · +$1,147
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Texas. Population: 10,495. Owner-occupied homes: 3,602.
The median annual property tax in Clay County is $2,182, which is 48% lower than the Texas state average and 9% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.27% on a median home value of $171,500. Property taxes represent 2.7% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Clay County
Primary signal
The bill sits below the Texas median
Homeowners in Clay County pay a median annual property tax of $2,182, modestly above the national median and well below the Texas state median. On a $171,500 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.27% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Clay County's 1.27% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 20%).
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Texas counties by effective rate
Clay County ranks #100 of 250 counties in Texas by effective rate (60% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Clay County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.7% of the $80,114 median household income.
Decision signal 5
The latest release held the bill roughly steady
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has held roughly steady, down 0.5%, from $2,194 to $2,182. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Clay County as reported to the Census Bureau, your own bill can differ based on your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, special districts, and municipal overlays. Always consult your county assessor, tax collector, or a qualified professional before making decisions that depend on these numbers.
How to read this county's bill
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 29% from $1,685 to $2,182. These ACS medians describe the reported change; they do not identify whether a levy, assessment, home value, or change in the responding households caused it.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 1,197 of 3,602 owner-occupied homes (33.2%) 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.
Both figures are in the national top quarter, and the median bill still equals only 2.7% of median household income. A high rate on high earnings produces a large dollar figure, and only the dollar figure tends to get quoted; the ratio above is the other half.
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, 1,197 of 3,602 owner-occupied homes (33.2%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 17.9% (644)
- $800 to $1,499 18.8% (677)
- $1,500 to $1,999 8.6% (309)
- $2,000 to $2,999 18.9% (680)
- $3,000 or more 33.2% (1,197)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
95 homes here (2.6%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Texas handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Clay County pay more than double the bill of those without one (+70%), the widest kind of value gap this dataset tracks.
How Clay County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Clay County's effective rate is higher than 60% of the 250 counties in Texas - ranking #100 of 250 for property tax burden.
Where Clay County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.27% more affordable than 20% 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
What changed since 2020
The median bill in Clay County moved from $1,685 in the 2020 release to $2,182 in 2024, a change of about 29%. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates compared across releases that share only one sample year, which is why this page never compares consecutive releases: those overlap in four years of the same households and move mostly on sampling.
Clay County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Clay County | Texas Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Above-median income burden | 2.7% | - | - |
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.
Think your Clay County MID bill is out of line at PAR?
On Clay County's published figures (PAR · MID), a $171,500 median home carries a $2,182 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $218 a year at the same rate. Whether an appeal is worth filing depends on your own parcel. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to run your own numbers, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the procedure in Texas.
Property Tax History · PAR · MID
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,182 -0.5% | 1.27% |
| 2023 | $2,194 +10.0% | 1.36% |
| 2022 | $1,994 +5.7% | 1.43% |
| 2021 | $1,887 +12.0% | 1.60% |
| 2020 | $1,685 | 1.53% |
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.
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate well above the national average of 0.92% puts Clay County in the "Moderate" band for property tax burden.
How this score is calculated: a 1-10 scale derived mechanically from the ratio of this county's effective rate to the national average effective rate (0.92%) - a ratio at or below 0.5× scores 10, a ratio at or above 2.0× scores 1, with a linear scale between. It is a factual comparison of Census figures only, not a recommendation, quality rating, or endorsement of Clay County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Clay County sits nearest Bon Homme County (SD), Venango County (PA), Greene County (PA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Salt Lake County (UT), Summers County (WV), Sarpy County (NE).
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
What tax filers report in Clay County
Of the 4,880 federal returns filed from Clay County in 2022, 180 (3.7% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $4,672 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 39% of the county's reporting returns.
Two things this does not say. The amount is what filers reported, recorded before the $10,000 cap on combined state and local tax deductions applies, so it is not the amount deducted. And the share is of everyone who files a return, not of homeowners: most filers now take the standard deduction, so a minority itemise at all. Source: IRS Statistics of Income county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in Texas
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Clay County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Clay County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Clay County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Clay County, Texas? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Clay County? ▼
What to do with Clay County's numbers
- Inside Texas, Clay County's $2,182 median bill runs low versus the state median - check peer counties before assuming the lowest bill is the best move. Texas overview →
- Clay County ranks #100 of 250 Texas counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Texas overview →
- If Clay County's assessment looks high versus the $171,500 typical home, check Texas's filing window and evidence rules before the notice deadline passes. How to appeal →
Effective-rate definition
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($171,500); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
Nationwide peers by effective rate & median bill
Two PlainPropertyTax-derived comparison paths for Clay County, both outside Texas so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice. Axes stay disjoint: median-bill peers exclude the effective-rate peer set.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 1.27%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $2,182/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
Clayton County, IA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,181/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.29% vs Clay County 1.27%.
Dawes County, NE
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,183/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.45% vs Clay County 1.27%.
Turner County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,181/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.98% vs Clay County 1.27%.
Mercer County, ND
ABS(median_tax) peer · $2,184/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.10% vs Clay County 1.27%.
Texas county set
State ACS overview for every published Texas 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.
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Editorial standards and provenance
PlainPropertyTax is rendered directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on the Census ACS county-level record for Clay County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.