Clay County, South Dakota property tax
The median homeowner in Clay County, South Dakota pays $2,879 a year in property tax on a home worth $221,800, an effective rate of 1.30%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 1.30%, Clay County taxes property more heavily than the country as a whole, which sits at 0.98%. Houses here are worth $221,800, below the national $303,400. Part of any high rate is arithmetic rather than policy: a smaller tax base has to be taxed harder to raise the same money.
It ranks #5 of 36 South Dakota counties by effective rate, against a statewide 1.09%, and #576 nationally. The state runs from 2.23% in Todd County down to 0.44% in Oglala Lakota County.
The median home costs 3.77 times the median household income of $58,794, close to the national 3.86. Incomes run below the national median, and house prices run below it too, which is what keeps the ratio ordinary. This is a small rural county of 15,133 people. Five-year survey estimates for places this size carry wide margins of error, so treat the figures as approximate.
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 | South Dakota | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 1.30% | 1.09% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $2,879 | $2,590 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $221,800 | $236,800 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $736 | $912 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $58,794 | $72,421 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 3.77× | 3.27× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 15.02% | 15.11% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 51.75% | 68.64% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 15,133.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oglala Lakota County | 0.44% | $199 | $45,600 |
| Union County | 1.11% | $2,997 | $269,500 |
| Hughes County | 1.14% | $2,526 | $221,100 |
| Lake County | 1.07% | $2,463 | $231,000 |
| Beadle County | 1.05% | $1,879 | $178,400 |
Clay County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Clay County, South Dakota?
The effective rate is 1.30% of home value, from a median tax bill of $2,879 against a median home value of $221,800. That is 0.32 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Clay County?
Roughly $5,200 a year at the county effective rate of 1.30%.
Is Clay County expensive compared with the rest of South Dakota?
It ranks #5 of 36 South Dakota counties by effective property tax rate, and #576 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.21 points above the South Dakota average of 1.09%.
What does housing cost in Clay County?
The median home is worth $221,800 and median gross rent is $736 a month. Median household income is $58,794, which puts the home at 3.77 times annual income and rent at 15.02% of it.