Missouri · County property tax · ACS 2024
Polk County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Polk County pays $1,137 a year, an effective rate of 0.55%, well below the U.S. average.
- $1,137
- Median tax / yr · Below-median bill
- 0.55%
- Effective rate · Low rate
- -43%
- vs U.S. average
- #95 of 115
- rank in MO
The verdict
Homeowners in Polk County pay a median $1,137 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.55%, more affordable than 78% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,137
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.55%
- Effective rate on median home
- #694 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -43%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($205,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Polk County, MO
66/100
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.
Polk County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Polk County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Median tax as a share of Polk County's median household income
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Polk County
Median home value relative to Polk County's median income
Read the chart values
- Rate relief: 77/100 (B+) · 0.55%
- Bill size: 71/100 (B) · $1,137/yr
- Income room: 70/100 (B) · 1.9%
- Mortgage premium: 55/100 (C) · +$263
- Housing pressure: 32/100 (F) · 3.45×
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: 32,444. Owner-occupied homes: 8,636.
The median annual property tax in Polk County is $1,137, which is 42% lower than the Missouri state average and 43% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.55% on a median home value of $205,800. Property taxes represent 1.9% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Polk County
Primary signal
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Polk County pay a median annual property tax of $1,137, well below the national median and well below the Missouri state median. On a $205,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.55% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
High among Missouri counties by effective rate
Polk County ranks #95 of 115 counties in Missouri by effective rate (17% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Polk County's 0.55% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 78%).
Decision signal 4
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Polk County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $59,647 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 Polk 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.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 11.7% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 52% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 45.3%, the median bill rose 28.3% to $1,137: the rate did comparatively little to offset the market.
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
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 28% from $886 to $1,137. 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 fullest band here is the $800 to $1,499 range, holding 3,266 of 8,636 owner-occupied homes (37.8%). 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 1.9% 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 Polk County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Polk County homeowners, 3,266 of 8,636 owner-occupied homes (37.8%), pays $800 to $1,499 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 30.6% (2,645)
- $800 to $1,499 37.8% (3,266)
- $1,500 to $1,999 14.5% (1,255)
- $2,000 to $2,999 10.4% (894)
- $3,000 or more 5.0% (432)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
144 homes here (1.7%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Missouri handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Polk County, mortgaged homeowners pay 27% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
How Polk County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Polk County's effective rate is higher than 17% of the 115 counties in Missouri - ranking #95 of 115 for property tax burden.
Where Polk 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
What changed since 2020
The median bill in Polk County moved from $886 in the 2020 release to $1,137 in 2024, a change of about 28%. 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.
Polk County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Polk County | Missouri 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 | 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.
Polk County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - still check the parcel card
On Polk County's published figures (QUIET · LIGHT), a $205,800 median home carries a $1,137 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $114 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 | $1,137 +3.3% | 0.55% |
| 2023 | $1,101 +4.8% | 0.58% |
| 2022 | $1,051 +13.9% | 0.61% |
| 2021 | $923 +4.2% | 0.63% |
| 2020 | $886 | 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 well below the national average of 0.92% puts Polk 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 Polk County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Polk County sits nearest Lafayette County (MS), Aitkin County (MN), Rapides Parish (LA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Hanover County (VA), Northampton County (VA), Monona 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 Polk County
Of the 13,660 federal returns filed from Polk County in 2022, 350 (2.6% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $2,306 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 31% 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 Polk County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Polk County? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Polk County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Polk County, Missouri? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Polk County? ▼
What to do with Polk County's numbers
- Polk County's $1,137 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 Polk County's $59,647 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
- Polk County ranks #95 of 115 Missouri counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Missouri overview →
- If Polk County's assessment looks high versus the $205,800 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 ($205,800); 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 Polk 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: 0.55%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,137/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Polk County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Polk County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET LIGHT
Wayne County, IN
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Polk County at $1,137/yr; rate 0.81% vs Polk County 0.55%.
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,136/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.43% vs Polk County 0.55%.
Richmond County, NC
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,138/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.89% vs Polk County 0.55%.
Smith County, TN
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,136/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.47% vs Polk County 0.55%.
Missouri county set
State ACS overview for every published Missouri county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Polk 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.
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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 Polk County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.