Missouri · County property tax · ACS 2024
Shelby County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Shelby County pays $860 a year, an effective rate of 0.86%, far below the U.S. average.
- $860
- Median tax / yr · Low bill
- 0.86%
- Effective rate · Above-median rate
- -57%
- vs U.S. average
- #16 of 115
- rank in MO
The verdict
Homeowners in Shelby County pay a median $860 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.86%, more affordable than 46% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $860
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.86%
- Effective rate on median home
- #1703 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -57%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($99,900). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Tax affordability score · Shelby County, MO
70/100
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 Shelby County's median income
Shelby County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties
Median tax as a share of Shelby County's median household income
Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Shelby County
Shelby County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)
Read the chart values
- Housing pressure: 90/100 (A+) · 1.94×
- Bill size: 83/100 (A-) · $860/yr
- Income room: 79/100 (B+) · 1.7%
- Mortgage premium: 69/100 (B-) · +$166
- Rate relief: 46/100 (D) · 0.86%
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: 5,986. Owner-occupied homes: 1,853.
The median annual property tax in Shelby County is $860, which is 56% lower than the Missouri state average and 57% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.86% on a median home value of $99,900. Property taxes represent 1.7% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Shelby County
Primary signal
The bill sits well below the national median
Homeowners in Shelby County pay a median annual property tax of $860, far below the national median and far below the Missouri state median. On a $99,900 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.86% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 2
Low among Missouri counties by effective rate
Shelby County ranks #16 of 115 counties in Missouri by effective rate (86% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 3
Income carries a light tax share
Property taxes in Shelby County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.7% of the $51,594 median household income.
Decision signal 4
The effective rate sits near the national middle
Shelby County's 0.86% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 46%).
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Shelby 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.
A falling rate took the edge off
Shelby County's effective rate fell 15.0% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 39.3%, leaving the median bill 18.5% higher at $860. That rate move is larger than the one in 63% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
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 $726 to $860, a gain of 18%. 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: 863 of 1,853 owner-occupied homes (46.6%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.
This county earns in the bottom quarter of the country and taxes above the median rate, so the median bill absorbs 1.7% of median household income. The rate alone understates that; it is the pairing that matters.
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 Shelby County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Shelby County homeowners, 863 of 1,853 owner-occupied homes (46.6%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 46.6% (863)
- $800 to $1,499 28.3% (524)
- $1,500 to $1,999 7.6% (140)
- $2,000 to $2,999 7.9% (147)
- $3,000 or more 8.8% (163)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Shelby County, mortgaged homeowners pay 21% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
How Shelby County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Shelby County's effective rate is higher than 86% of the 115 counties in Missouri - ranking #16 of 115 for property tax burden.
Where Shelby County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.86% more affordable than 46% 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 1% of the Missouri median, yet the median bill runs 56% 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 $860 here. That is why comparing counties on rate alone can invert the answer a homeowner actually cares about.
Shelby County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Shelby County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Low bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Above-median 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.
Shelby County stamps UNDER · LIGHT - still check the parcel card
On Shelby County's published figures (UNDER · LIGHT), a $99,900 median home carries a $860 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $86 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 | $860 +11.4% | 0.86% |
| 2023 | $772 -1.8% | 0.90% |
| 2022 | $786 +6.2% | 0.92% |
| 2021 | $740 +1.9% | 1.01% |
| 2020 | $726 | 1.01% |
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 modestly below the national average of 0.92% puts Shelby County in the "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 Shelby County or any other county.
Counties with similar tax profiles
On effective rate, Shelby County sits nearest Washington County (MS), Jefferson County (MS), Holmes County (MS).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Benton County (TN), Arthur County (NE), Wirt County (WV).
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 Shelby County
Of the 2,770 federal returns filed from Shelby County in 2022, 50 (1.8% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $1,500 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $25-50k, who accounted for 60% 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 Shelby County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Shelby County? ▼
What is the tax affordability score for Shelby County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Shelby County? ▼
What is the average property tax in Shelby County, Missouri? ▼
What to do with Shelby County's numbers
- Shelby County's $860 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 Shelby County's $51,594 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
- Shelby County ranks #16 of 115 Missouri counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Missouri overview →
- If Shelby County's assessment looks high versus the $99,900 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 ($99,900); 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 Shelby 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: 0.86%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $860/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Shelby County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Shelby County (UNDER · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
UNDER LIGHT
Humphreys County, MS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $861/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.98% vs Shelby County 0.86%.
Mecklenburg County, VA
ABS(median_tax) peer · $859/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.45% vs Shelby County 0.86%.
Rich County, UT
ABS(median_tax) peer · $859/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.26% vs Shelby County 0.86%.
Sharkey County, MS
ABS(median_tax) peer · $861/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.88% vs Shelby County 0.86%.
Missouri county set
State ACS overview for every published Missouri county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Shelby 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 Shelby County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.