Missouri · County property tax · ACS 2024
St. Louis County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in St. Louis County pays $3,335 a year, an effective rate of 1.20%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,335
- Median tax / yr · High bill
- 1.20%
- Effective rate · High rate
- +67%
- vs U.S. average
- #1 of 115
- rank in MO
The verdict
Homeowners in St. Louis County pay a median $3,335 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.20%, more affordable than 23% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $3,335
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.20%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2405 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +67%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($276,800). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Missouri. Population: 995,569. Owner-occupied homes: 286,530.
The median annual property tax in St. Louis County is $3,335, which is 71% higher than the Missouri state average and 67% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.20% on a median home value of $276,800. Property taxes represent 4.0% of the median household income in this county.
St. Louis County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate sits near the national middle
St. Louis County's 1.20% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 23%).
Decision signal 2
The bill sits well above the national median
Homeowners in St. Louis County pay a median annual property tax of $3,335, far above the national median and far above the Missouri state median. On a $276,800 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.20% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
Low among Missouri counties by effective rate
St. Louis County ranks #1 of 115 counties in Missouri by effective rate (99% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in St. Louis County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.0% of the $82,936 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in St. Louis 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.
Most of the market's rise reached the bill
The effective rate here moved 10.5% down between 2020 and 2024, a smaller shift than in 58% of U.S. counties. With the median home value rose 33.9%, the median bill rose 19.8% to $3,335: 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
Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $2,783 to $3,335, a gain of 20%. This is a comparison of published ACS medians, not an explanation of a particular property's assessment or tax bill.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 156,250 of 286,530 owner-occupied homes (54.5%) report annual real-estate taxes above $3,000. That band has no upper edge in the source, so the county median understates the burden carried by the plurality rather than describing it.
Both figures are in the national top quarter, and the median bill still equals only 4.0% of median household income. A high rate on high earnings produces a large dollar figure, and only the dollar figure tends to get quoted; the ratio above is the other half.
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.
St. Louis County is an outlier inside Missouri
Across the 115 Missouri counties with a published rate, the average effective rate is 0.70%. St. Louis County is at 1.20%, which sits 2.9 standard deviations above that average. Fewer than one county in twenty nationally is this far from its own state's centre, so a state-level average is a poor guide to what is owed here.
Standard deviations are computed across every county in the state with a published effective rate for 2024; states with fewer than five such counties are not assessed.
What St. Louis County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of St. Louis County homeowners, 156,250 of 286,530 owner-occupied homes (54.5%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 3.8% (10,812)
- $800 to $1,499 9.0% (25,716)
- $1,500 to $1,999 9.7% (27,913)
- $2,000 to $2,999 21.2% (60,774)
- $3,000 or more 54.5% (156,250)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
5,065 homes here (1.8%) 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 St. Louis County pay about the same bill, a 2% gap.
St. Louis County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
St. Louis County's effective rate is higher than 99% of the 115 counties in Missouri - ranking #1 of 115.
Where St. Louis County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.20% more affordable than 23% 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
Above Missouri on both measures
St. Louis County's effective rate runs 41% over the Missouri median and its bill 71% over. When both move together the rate is not being offset by cheaper housing, so the $3,335 median bill is carrying the full weight of the higher rate rather than a valuation difference. This is a comparison of two published medians, not a statement about any individual parcel.
St. Louis County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | St. Louis County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax High bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate High rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Heavy income burden | 4.0% | - | - |
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.
St. Louis County is PAR · HEAVY on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · Missouri counties.
St. Louis County rate trail · PAR
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,335 +4.4% | 1.20% |
| 2023 | $3,193 +3.0% | 1.22% |
| 2022 | $3,101 +6.5% | 1.24% |
| 2021 | $2,913 +4.7% | 1.32% |
| 2020 | $2,783 | 1.35% |
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.
St. Louis County: tax takes 4.0% of income
Counties near St. Louis County's effective rate
On effective rate, St. Louis County sits nearest Palo Alto County (IA), Clay County (NE), Dixon County (NE).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Massac County (IL), Washington County (OR), Clinton County (MI).
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
St. Louis County: only 9% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 45,070 of 492,370 returns from St. Louis County reported real estate taxes, averaging $7,458 - 41% of those reporters sat in the $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
St. Louis County rate FAQs
- How does St. Louis County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in St. Louis County run far above the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 1.20% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the tax affordability score for St. Louis County?
- St. Louis County, Missouri scores F (29/100) 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- (+$69). 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 St. Louis County, Missouri?
- The median annual property tax in St. Louis County is $3,335, an effective rate of 1.20% on a $276,800 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in St. Louis County?
- Property taxes in St. Louis County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.0% of the $82,936 median household income.
- Are property taxes increasing in St. Louis County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for St. Louis County climbed 19.8% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $2,783 to $3,335, 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 St. Louis County's PAR rate
St. Louis County's $3,335 median bill sits well above the U.S. median - size a personal estimate before treating the county headline as your budget. Estimate your bill →
St. Louis County ranks #1 of 115 Missouri counties by effective rate - on the higher-burden half of the state ACS set. Missouri overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for St. Louis County's PAR 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: 1.20%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $3,335/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with St. Louis County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for St. Louis County (PAR · HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
PAR HEAVY
Clermont County, OH
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,333/yr (near-tied bill ABS $2); rate 1.25% vs St. Louis County 1.20%.
Nueces County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,330/yr (near-tied bill ABS $5); rate 1.59% vs St. Louis County 1.20%.
Lincoln County, OR
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,322/yr (near-tied bill ABS $13); rate 0.81% vs St. Louis County 1.20%.
Martin County, FL
ABS(median_tax) peer · $3,322/yr (near-tied bill ABS $13); rate 0.77% vs St. Louis County 1.20%.
Missouri county set
State ACS overview for every published Missouri county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
St. Louis County stamps PAR · HEAVY - 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 St. Louis County (PAR · HEAVY) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.