Missouri · County property tax · ACS 2024
Hickory County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Hickory County pays $722 a year, an effective rate of 0.41%, far below the U.S. average.
- $722
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.41%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -64%
- vs U.S. average
- #112 of 115
- rank in MO
The verdict
Homeowners in Hickory County pay a median $722 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.41%, more affordable than 92% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $722
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.41%
- Effective rate on median home
- #246 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -64%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($176,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Hickory County, MO
74/100
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.
Hickory County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Hickory County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Median tax as a share of Hickory County's median household income
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Hickory County
Median home value relative to Hickory County's median income
Read the chart values
- Rate relief: 93/100 (A+) · 0.41%
- Bill size: 89/100 (A) · $722/yr
- Income room: 73/100 (B) · 1.8%
- Mortgage premium: 55/100 (C-) · +$266
- Housing pressure: 14/100 (F) · 4.47×
Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Missouri. Population: 8,585. Owner-occupied homes: 2,969.
The median annual property tax in Hickory County is $722, which is 63% lower than the Missouri state average and 64% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.41% on a median home value of $176,100. Property taxes represent 1.8% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Hickory County
Primary signal
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Hickory County pay a median annual property tax of $722, far below the national median and far below the Missouri state median. On a $176,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.41% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
High among Missouri counties by effective rate
Hickory County ranks #112 of 115 counties in Missouri by effective rate (3% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Hickory County's 0.41% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 92% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 4
The latest release moved the bill up
Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has jumped 24.3%, from $581 to $722. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
Decision signal 5
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Hickory County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.8% of the $39,390 median household income.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Hickory 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 40% from $514 to $722. 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 largest reported group here falls at the bottom of the national range: 1,626 of 2,969 owner-occupied homes (54.8%) 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 Hickory County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Hickory County homeowners, 1,626 of 2,969 owner-occupied homes (54.8%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 54.8% (1,626)
- $800 to $1,499 31.8% (944)
- $1,500 to $1,999 4.4% (132)
- $2,000 to $2,999 5.3% (157)
- $3,000 or more 1.4% (43)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
67 homes here (2.3%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Missouri handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged homeowners in Hickory County pay a substantially higher bill, 46% more, pointing to a wide home-value gap between the two groups.
How Hickory County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Hickory County's effective rate is higher than 3% of the 115 counties in Missouri - ranking #112 of 115 for property tax burden.
Where Hickory County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.41% Among the most affordable more affordable than 92% 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
Among the lowest-taxed counties in the country
At 0.41%, Hickory County sits in the lowest 8% of all U.S. counties by effective property-tax rate. A low rate does not by itself mean a low bill: the median here is $722, and what a homeowner actually pays depends as much on local home values as on the rate.
Hickory County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Hickory County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very 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.
Hickory County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - still check the parcel card
On Hickory County's published figures (QUIET · LIGHT), a $176,100 median home carries a $722 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $72 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 Missouri.
Property Tax History · QUIET · LIGHT
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $722 +24.3% | 0.41% |
| 2023 | $581 +1.4% | 0.47% |
| 2022 | $573 +5.7% | 0.53% |
| 2021 | $542 +5.4% | 0.61% |
| 2020 | $514 | 0.63% |
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 far below the national average of 0.92% puts Hickory County in the "Very Affordable" 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 Hickory County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Hickory County sits nearest Tangipahoa Parish (LA), Clay County (IN), Cassia County (ID).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Freeborn County (MN), Jasper County (IL), Traill County (ND).
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 Hickory County
Of the 3,960 federal returns filed from Hickory County in 2022, 60 (1.5% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $1,733 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $50-75k, who accounted for 50% 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 Missouri
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Hickory County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Hickory County? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Hickory County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Hickory County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Hickory County, Missouri? ▼
What to do with Hickory County's numbers
- Hickory County's $722 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 Hickory County's $39,390 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
- Hickory County ranks #112 of 115 Missouri counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Missouri overview →
- If Hickory County's assessment looks high versus the $176,100 typical home, check Missouri'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 ($176,100); 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 Hickory County, both outside Missouri 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: 0.41%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $722/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Hickory County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Hickory County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Appling County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $721/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.94% vs Hickory County 0.41%.
Bell County, KY
ABS(median_tax) peer · $723/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.81% vs Hickory County 0.41%.
Halifax County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $721/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.46% vs Hickory County 0.41%.
Wetzel County, WV
ABS(median_tax) peer · $721/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.67% vs Hickory County 0.41%.
Missouri county set
State ACS overview for every published Missouri county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Hickory 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.
Share and download this county card
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 Hickory County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.