Missouri · County property tax · ACS 2024
Howard County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Howard County pays $1,227 a year, an effective rate of 0.77%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,227
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.77%
- Effective rate · Below-median rate
- -38%
- vs U.S. average
- #42 of 115
- rank in MO
The verdict
Homeowners in Howard County pay a median $1,227 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.77%, more affordable than 53% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,227
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.77%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1476 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -38%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($159,400). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Howard County, MO
63/100
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 Howard County's median income
Median tax as a share of Howard County's median household income
Howard County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Howard County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Howard County
Read the chart values
- Housing pressure: 74/100 (B) · 2.42×
- Income room: 72/100 (B) · 1.9%
- Bill size: 67/100 (B-) · $1,227/yr
- Rate relief: 53/100 (C-) · 0.77%
- Mortgage premium: 53/100 (C-) · +$276
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: 10,147. Owner-occupied homes: 2,821.
The median annual property tax in Howard County is $1,227, which is 37% lower than the Missouri state average and 38% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.77% on a median home value of $159,400. Property taxes represent 1.9% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Howard County
Primary signal
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Howard County pay a median annual property tax of $1,227, well below the national median and well below the Missouri state median. On a $159,400 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.77% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Howard County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $65,938 median household income.
Decision signal 3
Near the middle of Missouri counties by effective rate
Howard County ranks #42 of 115 counties in Missouri by effective rate (63% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Howard County's 0.77% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 53%).
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Howard 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.
The rate held while the market moved
Howard County sits in the quarter of U.S. counties whose effective rate moved least over this span: 2.7% up, against a median home value that rose 12.7%.
A near-steady rate on a moving market passes that movement straight through: the median bill rose 15.8%, from $1,060 to $1,227.
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 $1,060 to $1,227, a gain of 16%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 1,080 of 2,821 owner-occupied homes (38.3%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Above-median earnings meet a slightly-below-median rate, and the median bill amounts to 1.9% of median household income. That is the comfortable middle of this dataset, and comfortable middles are easy to overlook when only rankings get published.
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 Howard County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Howard County homeowners, 1,080 of 2,821 owner-occupied homes (38.3%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 23.5% (662)
- $800 to $1,499 38.3% (1,080)
- $1,500 to $1,999 14.7% (415)
- $2,000 to $2,999 12.5% (352)
- $3,000 or more 7.6% (214)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
98 homes here (3.5%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Missouri handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Howard County, mortgaged homeowners pay 25% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
How Howard County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Howard County's effective rate is higher than 63% of the 115 counties in Missouri - ranking #42 of 115 for property tax burden.
Where Howard County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.77% more affordable than 53% 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 rate as Missouri, a smaller bill
The effective rate here sits within 9% of the Missouri median, yet the median bill runs 37% below it. When the rate matches and the cheque does not, the difference is in what is being taxed, not how heavily: the same percentage applied to cheaper housing produces $1,227 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Howard County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Howard County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 1.9% | - | - |
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.
Howard County stamps UNDER · LIGHT - still check the parcel card
On Howard County's published figures (UNDER · LIGHT), a $159,400 median home carries a $1,227 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $123 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 · UNDER · LIGHT
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,227 -2.8% | 0.77% |
| 2023 | $1,262 +10.3% | 0.87% |
| 2022 | $1,144 +2.5% | 0.81% |
| 2021 | $1,116 +5.3% | 0.78% |
| 2020 | $1,060 | 0.75% |
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 notably lower than the national average of 0.92% puts Howard 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 Howard County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Howard County sits nearest Tippah County (MS), Pope County (MN), Otter Tail County (MN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Carson County (TX), Page County (IA), Black Hawk County (IA).
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 Howard County
Of the 4,340 federal returns filed from Howard County in 2022, 90 (2.1% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $2,578 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 44% 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 Howard County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Howard County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Howard County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Howard County, Missouri? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Howard County? ▼
What to do with Howard County's numbers
- Howard County's $1,227 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 1.9% of Howard County's $65,938 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
- Howard County ranks #42 of 115 Missouri counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Missouri overview →
- If Howard County's assessment looks high versus the $159,400 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 ($159,400); 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 Howard 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: 0.77%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,227/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Howard County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Howard County (UNDER · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER LIGHT
Bladen County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Howard County at $1,227/yr; rate 0.91% vs Howard County 0.77%.
Terrell County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Howard County at $1,227/yr; rate 1.04% vs Howard County 0.77%.
Lauderdale County, MS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,228/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.92% vs Howard County 0.77%.
Murray County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,225/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 0.68% vs Howard County 0.77%.
Missouri county set
State ACS overview for every published Missouri county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Howard County stamps UNDER · 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 Howard County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.