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Missouri · County property tax · ACS 2024

Sullivan County Property Taxes

The median homeowner in Sullivan County pays $795 a year, an effective rate of 0.69%, far below the U.S. average.

$795
Median tax / yr · Low bill
0.69%
Effective rate · Below-median rate
-60%
vs U.S. average
#64 of 115
rank in MO

The verdict

Homeowners in Sullivan County pay a median $795 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.69%, more affordable than 61% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).

$795
Median annual tax bill, 2024
0.69%
Effective rate on median home
#1228 of 3135
U.S. counties by tax burden
-60%
vs the national average bill

Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($115,600). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.

Tax affordability score · Sullivan County, MO

78/100

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.

Income room A
1.4%

Median tax as a share of Sullivan County's median household income

Housing pressure A
2.03×

Median home value relative to Sullivan County's median income

Bill size A
$795/yr

Sullivan County's median annual property-tax bill vs U.S. counties

Mortgage premium B+
+$119

Mortgaged vs free-and-clear median bill gap in Sullivan County

Rate relief C+
0.69%

Sullivan County's effective rate vs U.S. county percentiles (ACS 2024)

Sullivan County affordability profile (scored ACS dimensions) 5-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income room, Housing pressure, Bill size, Mortgage premium, Rate relief. Income roomHousing pressureBill sizeMortgage premiumRate relief 78 B+
Sullivan County affordability profile (scored ACS dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Income room: 88/100 (A) · 1.4%
  • Housing pressure: 87/100 (A) · 2.03×
  • Bill size: 86/100 (A) · $795/yr
  • Mortgage premium: 76/100 (B+) · +$119
  • Rate relief: 62/100 (C+) · 0.69%

Track this county alongside up to five others. Saved figures refresh when the annual source data changes.

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Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Missouri. Population: 5,857. Owner-occupied homes: 1,533.

The median annual property tax in Sullivan County is $795, which is 59% lower than the Missouri state average and 60% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.69% on a median home value of $115,600. Property taxes represent 1.4% of the median household income in this county.

What This Data Tells Us About Sullivan County

Primary signal

The bill sits well below the national median

Homeowners in Sullivan County pay a median annual property tax of $795, far below the national median and far below the Missouri state median. On a $115,600 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.69% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.

Decision signal 2

Income carries a light tax share

Property taxes in Sullivan County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.4% of the $56,964 median household income.

Decision signal 3

The effective rate sits near the national middle

Sullivan County's 0.69% effective rate sits near the middle of 3,135 tracked counties (more affordable than 61%).

Decision signal 4

Near the middle of Missouri counties by effective rate

Sullivan County ranks #64 of 115 counties in Missouri by effective rate (44% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).

This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Sullivan 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.

The rate gave way faster than almost anywhere

Between the 2020 and 2024 releases the median home value in Sullivan County rose 52.9%, from $75,600 to $115,600. The effective rate fell 25.0% over the same span, a steeper move than in 93% of U.S. counties.

The median bill still rose 14.7%, to $795. 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.

Median Annual Tax
$795
Low bill
-59% vs State -60% vs US
Median Home Value
$115,600
-50% vs State -49% vs US
Effective Tax Rate
0.69%
Below-median rate
-19% vs State -25% vs US

How to read this county's bill

Bills rose across 2020-2024, from $693 to $795, a gain of 15%. 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: 752 of 1,533 owner-occupied homes (49.1%) report annual real-estate taxes under $800. This distribution describes reported owner-occupied homes, not an affordability judgment for any property.

Both figures cluster near the middle of the national range, and the median bill comes to 1.4% of median household income. Counties like this are the reason a national average exists at all, and also the reason it explains so little.

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 Sullivan County Homeowners Actually Pay

The single largest group of Sullivan County homeowners, 752 of 1,533 owner-occupied homes (49.1%), pays less than $800 a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.

  • Less than $800 49.1% (752)
  • $800 to $1,499 27.3% (418)
  • $1,500 to $1,999 7.8% (120)
  • $2,000 to $2,999 10.9% (167)
  • $3,000 or more 2.3% (35)

Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.

41 homes here (2.7%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how Missouri handles assessments and appeals.

With vs Without Mortgage

With Mortgage
$877
$73/mo
Without Mortgage
$758
$63/mo

In Sullivan County, mortgaged homeowners pay 16% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.

How Sullivan County compares

Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.

Sullivan County 0.69%
Missouri average 0.85%
U.S. average 0.92%

Sullivan County's effective rate is higher than 44% of the 115 counties in Missouri - ranking #64 of 115 for property tax burden.

Where Sullivan County sits among every U.S. county

Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)

0.69% Among the most affordable more affordable than 61% of 3,135 U.S. counties

Show national distribution This county 0.00% 4.00% every U.S. county, bucketed by value

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

Sullivan County's effective rate runs 19% under the Missouri median and its bill 59% 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 $795 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.

Sullivan County vs Benchmarks

Metric Sullivan County Missouri Avg U.S. Avg
Median Annual Tax Low bill $795 $1,948 $1,993
Effective Tax Rate Below-median rate 0.69% 0.85% 0.92%
Median Home Value $115,600 $230,300 $227,791
Tax as % of income Light income burden 1.4% - -

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.

Sullivan County stamps QUIET · LIGHT - still check the parcel card

On Sullivan County's published figures (QUIET · LIGHT), a $115,600 median home carries a $795 median bill, so every 10% off an assessed value is worth about $80 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

$650$700$750$800$850 20202021202220232024 $795
Median annual property tax in Sullivan County, 2020–2024 (ACS). Up +15% over the period.
Year Median Tax (vs prior release) Effective Rate
2024 $795 +4.6% 0.69%
2023 $760 +4.4% 0.74%
2022 $728 +0.6% 0.80%
2021 $724 +4.5% 0.91%
2020 $693 0.92%

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-to-Income Ratio
1.4%
of median household income
Median Income
$56,964
per year
Monthly Tax
$66
per month

Tax Affordability Score

8.5
Very Affordable

An effective rate well below the national average of 0.92% puts Sullivan County in the "Very Affordable" band for property tax burden.

Very Expensive Very Affordable

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 Sullivan County or any other county.

Counties with similar tax profiles

On effective rate, Sullivan County sits nearest Lee County (MS), Jasper County (MS), Benton County (MS).

On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Houston County (TX), Todd County (SD), Mercer County (NJ).

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.

What tax filers report in Sullivan County

Of the 2,670 federal returns filed from Sullivan County in 2022, 30 (1.1% of filers) itemised and reported real estate taxes on Schedule A, averaging $1,767 each. The largest group was filers with adjusted gross income of $100-200k, who accounted for 100% 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

View all counties in Missouri →

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Sullivan County property tax compare to the national average?
Property taxes in Sullivan County run far below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.69% versus 0.92% nationally.
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Sullivan County?
Property taxes in Sullivan County run well below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.4% of the $56,964 median household income.
What is the tax affordability score for Sullivan County?
Sullivan County, Missouri scores B+ (78/100) 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 income room at A (1.4%). 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 Sullivan County, Missouri?
The median annual property tax in Sullivan County is $795, an effective rate of 0.69% on a $115,600 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
Are property taxes increasing in Sullivan County?
The ACS median property-tax bill for Sullivan County climbed 14.7% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $693 to $795, 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 Sullivan County's numbers

  • Sullivan County's $795 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 1.4% of Sullivan County's $56,964 median household income goes to the property-tax bill.
  • Sullivan County ranks #64 of 115 Missouri counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. Missouri overview →
  • If Sullivan County's assessment looks high versus the $115,600 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 ($115,600); 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 Sullivan 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: 0.69%.

Similar median bill

Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $795/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.

Read with Sullivan County

Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Sullivan County (QUIET · LIGHT), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.

QUIET LIGHT

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 Sullivan County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-09.