Property tax in Smith County, Kansas
The median property tax bill in Smith County, Kansas is $1,722 a year, which is about 1.83% of the county's median home value of $94,100. That effective rate is higher 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 Smith County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Smith County's average effective rate of 1.83% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,722 / year
Property tax in Smith County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,722 |
| Median home value | $94,100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.83% |
| 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 Smith County compare in Kansas?
Among Kansas's 105 counties, Smith County has the 16th highest effective property-tax rate: 15 rank higher and 89 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Kansas. Nationally, it ranks 134th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Kansas county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Smith County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Smith County's 1,338 owner-occupied homes, 25.8% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 41.5% pay at least $2,000, and 19.1% pay under $800.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 256 | 19.1% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 321 | 24% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 197 | 14.7% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 210 | 15.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 345 | 25.8% |
| No property tax paid | 9 | 0.7% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,069 and owners without one pay $1,590. 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 Smith County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,722 is about 2.7% of the median income of Smith County homeowner households, $64,191 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 84.8% of Smith 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 Smith County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,471 in 2015-2019 to $1,722 in 2020-2024, a 17.1% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 34%, from $70,200 to $94,100. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
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 Smith County
Smith County borders 6 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewell County, KS | 1.93% | $1,247 | $64,600 |
| Rooks County, KS | 1.93% | $1,718 | $89,000 |
| Smith County, KS (this county) | 1.83% | $1,722 | $94,100 |
| Phillips County, KS | 1.8% | $1,738 | $96,500 |
| Osborne County, KS | 1.7% | $1,465 | $86,400 |
| Webster County, NE | 1.45% | $1,707 | $117,600 |
| Franklin County, NE | 1.28% | $1,221 | $95,600 |
How is a home assessed in Smith County?
Kansas assesses homes at 11.5% of market value in every county, Smith County included. How Kansas assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Smith 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 Smith County. Kansas's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Smith 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. Smith County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Smith 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; Smith 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 Smith 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 Smith County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Smith 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.