Clay County, Missouri property tax
The median homeowner in Clay County, Missouri pays $2,817 a year in property tax on a home worth $256,400, an effective rate of 1.10%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
Clay County taxes property at 1.10%, within a rounding error of the national 0.98%. That makes the $2,817 median bill mostly a statement about local house prices rather than about local tax policy.
It ranks #5 of 108 Missouri counties by effective rate, against a statewide 0.88%, and #844 nationally. The state runs from 1.22% in St. Louis County down to 0.38% in Wright County.
The median home costs 2.98 times the median household income of $86,150, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 68.88% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. At 255,566 residents the county is large enough that its median blends several distinct housing markets.
The rate is derived rather than quoted. How and why.
What that costs at different home values
Arithmetic at the county effective rate, before any exemption or assessment cap.
Housing and income
| Clay County | Missouri | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.10% | 0.88% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $2,817 | $1,887 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $256,400 | $215,600 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,220 | $996 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $86,150 | $68,920 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.98× | 3.13× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 16.99% | 17.34% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 68.88% | 67.94% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 255,566.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 0.84% | $1,835 | $218,800 |
| St. Louis city | 1.05% | $1,935 | $185,100 |
| Greene County | 0.72% | $1,469 | $203,500 |
| Boone County | 0.88% | $2,232 | $254,100 |
| Jasper County | 0.74% | $1,171 | $158,500 |
Clay County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Clay County, Missouri?
The effective rate is 1.10% of home value, from a median tax bill of $2,817 against a median home value of $256,400. That is 0.12 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Clay County?
Roughly $4,400 a year at the county effective rate of 1.10%.
Is Clay County expensive compared with the rest of Missouri?
It ranks #5 of 108 Missouri counties by effective property tax rate, and #844 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.22 points above the Missouri average of 0.88%.
What does housing cost in Clay County?
The median home is worth $256,400 and median gross rent is $1,220 a month. Median household income is $86,150, which puts the home at 2.98 times annual income and rent at 16.99% of it.