Missouri · County property tax · ACS 2024
Howell County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Howell County pays $872 a year, an effective rate of 0.50%, far below the U.S. average.
- $872
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.50%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -56%
- vs U.S. average
- #102 of 115
- rank in MO
The verdict
Homeowners in Howell County pay a median $872 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.50%, more affordable than 84% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $872
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.50%
- Effective rate on median home
- #514 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -56%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($173,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Missouri. Population: 40,383. Owner-occupied homes: 11,223.
The median annual property tax in Howell County is $872, which is 55% lower than the Missouri state average and 56% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.50% on a median home value of $173,000. Property taxes represent 1.7% of the median household income in this county.
Howell County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Howell County's 0.50% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 84%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Howell County pay a median annual property tax of $872, far below the national median and far below the Missouri state median. On a $173,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.50% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Missouri counties by effective rate
Howell County ranks #102 of 115 counties in Missouri by effective rate (11% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Howell County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.7% of the $50,993 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Howell 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 Howell County rose 51.0%, from $114,600 to $173,000. The effective rate fell 19.3% over the same span, a steeper move than in 80% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 21.8%, to $872. 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 $716 to $872, a gain of 22%. 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: 4,721 of 11,223 owner-occupied homes (42.1%) 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 1.7% 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 Howell County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Howell County homeowners, 4,721 of 11,223 owner-occupied homes (42.1%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 42.1% (4,721)
- $800 to $1,499 35.4% (3,975)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.3% (1,048)
- $2,000 to $2,999 6.6% (742)
- $3,000 or more 2.2% (247)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
490 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 Howell County pay about the same bill, a 3% gap.
Howell County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Howell County's effective rate is higher than 11% of the 115 counties in Missouri - ranking #102 of 115.
Where Howell County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.50% Among the most affordable more affordable than 84% 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
Howell County's effective rate runs 41% under the Missouri median and its bill 55% 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 $872 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.
Howell County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Howell County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Light income burden | 1.7% | - | - |
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.
Howell County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Missouri counties.
Howell County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $872 -2.2% | 0.50% |
| 2023 | $892 +8.0% | 0.55% |
| 2022 | $826 +10.9% | 0.58% |
| 2021 | $745 +4.1% | 0.62% |
| 2020 | $716 | 0.62% |
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.
Howell County: tax takes only 1.7% of income
Counties near Howell County's effective rate
On effective rate, Howell County sits nearest Dukes County (MA), Plaquemines Parish (LA), Warren County (IN).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Wayne County (IA), Campbell County (VA), Marion County (KS).
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
Howell County: only 2% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 330 of 16,840 returns from Howell County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,512 - 33% 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
Howell County rate FAQs
- How does Howell County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Howell County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.50% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for Howell County?
- Howell County, Missouri scores B+ (77/100) 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 (+$28). 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.
- What is the average property tax in Howell County, Missouri?
- The median annual property tax in Howell County is $872, an effective rate of 0.50% on a $173,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Howell County?
- Property taxes in Howell County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.7% of the $50,993 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Howell County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Howell County jumped 21.8% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $716 to $872, 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 Howell County's QUIET rate
Howell County's $872 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 1.7% of Howell County's $50,993 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Howell 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: 0.50%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $872/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Howell County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Howell County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Atoka County, OK
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Howell County at $872/yr; rate 0.55% vs Howell County 0.50%.
Stonewall County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Howell County at $872/yr; rate 1.79% vs Howell County 0.50%.
Blackford County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $873/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.81% vs Howell County 0.50%.
Clark County, AR
ABS(median_tax) peer · $871/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.56% vs Howell County 0.50%.
Missouri county set
State ACS overview for every published Missouri county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Howell 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 Howell County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.