Property tax in Clay County, Kansas
The median property tax bill in Clay County, Kansas is $2,055 a year, which is about 1.32% of the county's median home value of $155,900. That effective rate is lower than the typical Kansas county (1.51%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Clay County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Clay County's average effective rate of 1.32% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,058 / year
Property tax in Clay County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,055 |
| Median home value | $155,900 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.32% |
| Typical Kansas county rate | 1.51% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Clay County compare in Kansas?
Among Kansas's 105 counties, Clay County has the 82nd highest effective property-tax rate: 81 rank higher and 23 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Kansas. Nationally, it ranks 563rd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Kansas county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Clay County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Clay County's 2,747 owner-occupied homes, 29.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 49.3% pay at least $2,000, and 10.2% pay under $800. Another 3.6% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 281 | 10.2% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 734 | 26.7% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 279 | 10.2% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 544 | 19.8% |
| $3,000 or more | 810 | 29.5% |
| No property tax paid | 99 | 3.6% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,158 and owners without one pay $1,830. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Clay County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,055 is about 2.9% of the median income of Clay County homeowner households, $71,506 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 78% of Clay County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Clay County?
The survey cannot tell. The median bill was $1,734 in 2015-2019 and $2,055 in 2020-2024, but that $321 difference is inside the Census's own margin of error for a county this size, so it could be sampling noise rather than a real change.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Clay County
Clay County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud County, KS | 1.7% | $1,704 | $100,000 |
| Ottawa County, KS | 1.66% | $2,760 | $166,000 |
| Dickinson County, KS | 1.47% | $2,154 | $146,800 |
| Riley County, KS | 1.46% | $3,466 | $237,100 |
| Geary County, KS | 1.45% | $2,496 | $172,700 |
| Washington County, KS | 1.37% | $1,607 | $117,100 |
| Clay County, KS (this county) | 1.32% | $2,055 | $155,900 |
How is a home assessed in Clay County?
Kansas assesses homes at 11.5% of market value in every county, Clay County included. How Kansas assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Clay County?
Only against one levy. Kansas exempts the first $75,000 of appraised value from the 20 mill statewide school levy, worth roughly $173 a year at most, applied automatically. That is the Kansas rule, and it applies in Clay County. Kansas's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Clay County?
County treasurers mail statements from November through December 15. You can pay the full year by December 20, or split it and pay half by December 20 and the rest by May 10. If the bill is $10 or less the whole amount is due December 20. When a due date lands on a weekend it moves to the treasurer's next business day.
Kansas splits the bill into 2 installments. That is the Kansas rule. Clay County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Clay County property assessment
You contest the assessed value with the county appraiser (informal meeting), then the Board of Tax Appeals Small Claims Division, then the full Board of Tax Appeals. The filing deadline is typically 30 days after the county mails your valuation notice. That is the Kansas rule; Clay County sets the exact dates and forms. The Kansas appeal process step by step.
Kansas rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Kansas page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Clay County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Kansas income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Kansas actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Clay County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Clay County, Kansas: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.