Montana · County property tax · ACS 2024
Musselshell County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Musselshell County pays $1,287 a year, an effective rate of 0.55%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,287
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.55%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -35%
- vs U.S. average
- #45 of 56
- rank in MT
The verdict
Homeowners in Musselshell County pay a median $1,287 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.55%, more affordable than 78% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,287
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.55%
- Effective rate on median home
- #694 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -35%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($235,000). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Montana. Population: 5,152. Owner-occupied homes: 1,827.
The median annual property tax in Musselshell County is $1,287, which is 52% lower than the Montana state average and 35% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.55% on a median home value of $235,000. Property taxes represent 2.2% of the median household income in this county.
Musselshell County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Musselshell County's 0.55% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 78%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Musselshell County pay a median annual property tax of $1,287, well below the national median and far below the Montana state median. On a $235,000 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.55% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among Montana counties by effective rate
Musselshell County ranks #45 of 56 counties in Montana by effective rate (20% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Musselshell County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.2% of the $58,920 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Musselshell 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 Musselshell County rose 35.8%, from $173,000 to $235,000. The effective rate fell 24.0% over the same span, a steeper move than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The median bill still rose 3.2%, to $1,287. 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
Very little moved here between 2020 and 2024: the typical bill went from $1,247 to $1,287, a change of 3%. The comparison describes county-level medians only; individual assessments and bills can differ.
The fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 563 of 1,827 owner-occupied homes (30.8%). The band shows where the largest share of reported owner-occupied households falls; it is not an individual-bill estimate.
Household income sits in the second quarter nationally and the effective rate in the lowest, so the median bill takes 2.2% of median household income. Both figures point the same way, which is unusual enough that the ratio above is worth reading rather than assumed.
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 Musselshell County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Musselshell County homeowners, 563 of 1,827 owner-occupied homes (30.8%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 26.4% (482)
- $800 to $1,499 30.8% (563)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.7% (177)
- $2,000 to $2,999 21.0% (383)
- $3,000 or more 7.4% (135)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
87 homes here (4.8%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Montana handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Musselshell County pay about the same bill, a 8% gap.
Musselshell County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Musselshell County's effective rate is higher than 20% of the 56 counties in Montana - ranking #45 of 56.
Where Musselshell County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.55% Among the most affordable more affordable than 78% 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 Montana on both measures
Musselshell County's effective rate runs 24% under the Montana median and its bill 52% 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 $1,287 median bill reflects a genuinely lighter charge than the Montana norm rather than a different denominator. Compare it against the state page before reading anything into the county rank.
Musselshell County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Musselshell County | Montana Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Below-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.2% | - | - |
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.
Musselshell County is QUIET · LIGHT on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Montana counties.
Musselshell County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,287 -6.9% | 0.55% |
| 2023 | $1,383 -9.1% | 0.63% |
| 2022 | $1,521 +1.7% | 0.68% |
| 2021 | $1,495 +19.9% | 0.76% |
| 2020 | $1,247 | 0.72% |
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.
Musselshell County: tax-to-income at 2.2%
Counties near Musselshell County's effective rate
On effective rate, Musselshell County sits nearest Taney County (MO), Polk County (MO), Oregon County (MO).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Luce County (MI), Irion County (TX), Boyd 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
Musselshell County: only 4% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 80 of 2,240 returns from Musselshell County reported real estate taxes, averaging $2,325 - 63% 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 Montana
Musselshell County rate FAQs
- How does Musselshell County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Musselshell County run well below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.55% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Musselshell County, Montana?
- The median annual property tax in Musselshell County is $1,287, an effective rate of 0.55% on a $235,000 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Musselshell County?
- Musselshell County, Montana scores B- (65/100) 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 B+ (+$99). 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 percentage of income goes to property taxes in Musselshell County?
- Property taxes in Musselshell County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.2% of the $58,920 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in Musselshell County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Musselshell County ticked up 3.2% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,247 to $1,287, 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 Musselshell County's QUIET rate
Musselshell County's $1,287 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 →
Musselshell County ranks #45 of 56 Montana counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Montana overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Musselshell 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: 0.55%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,287/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Musselshell County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Musselshell County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Baylor County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,288/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.25% vs Musselshell County 0.55%.
Cleveland County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,286/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.64% vs Musselshell County 0.55%.
Franklin County, GA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,288/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.72% vs Musselshell County 0.55%.
Moore County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,288/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.45% vs Musselshell County 0.55%.
Montana county set
State ACS overview for every published Montana county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Musselshell 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 Musselshell County (QUIET · LIGHT) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.