Property tax in Forrest County, Mississippi

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Forrest County, Mississippi is $1,361 a year, which is about 0.81% of the county's median home value of $168,000. That effective rate is higher than the typical Mississippi county (0.69%) and about the same as 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 Forrest County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Forrest County's average effective rate of 0.81% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $1,361 / year

Property tax in Forrest County at a glance

Forrest County, Mississippi property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,361
Median home value	$168,000
Effective tax rate	0.81%
Typical Mississippi county rate	0.69%
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 Forrest County compare in Mississippi?

Among Mississippi's 81 counties, Forrest County has the 21st highest effective property-tax rate: 20 rank higher and 60 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Mississippi. Nationally, it ranks 1557th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Mississippi county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Forrest County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Forrest County's 17,224 owner-occupied homes, 11.3% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 25.7% pay at least $2,000, and 23.8% pay under $800. Another 21.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Forrest County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	4,096	23.8%
$800 to $1,499	3,397	19.7%
$1,500 to $1,999	1,675	9.7%
$2,000 to $2,999	2,484	14.4%
$3,000 or more	1,945	11.3%
No property tax paid	3,627	21.1%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,644 and owners without one pay $999. 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 Forrest County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,361 is about 1.8% of the median income of Forrest County homeowner households, $76,691 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 57.2% of Forrest 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 Forrest County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,151 in 2015-2019 to $1,361 in 2020-2024, a 18.2% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 36.9%, from $122,700 to $168,000. 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 Forrest County

Forrest County borders 6 counties.

Forrest County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Forrest County, MS (this county)	0.81%	$1,361	$168,000
Jones County, MS	0.74%	$1,053	$143,100
Stone County, MS	0.7%	$1,134	$161,100
Lamar County, MS	0.66%	$1,479	$224,700
Pearl River County, MS	0.65%	$1,189	$182,300
Perry County, MS	0.62%	$763	$124,000
Covington County, MS	0.59%	$619	$105,100

How is a home assessed in Forrest County?

Mississippi assesses homes at 10% of market value in every county, Forrest County included. How Mississippi assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Forrest County?

Yes, as a credit off the bill. Mississippi's regular homestead credit tops out at $300, which almost every homeowner with a house worth roughly $74,000 or more receives. Apply with the county tax assessor between January 1 and April 1. That is the Mississippi rule, and it applies in Forrest County. Mississippi's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Forrest County?

Property is assessed to whoever owns it on January 1, the bill goes out that November or December, and the full amount is due by February 1. If February 1 falls on a weekend or holiday you can pay the next Monday without penalty. A county or self-collecting municipality may vote to accept partial payments, splitting the year into one half by February 1 and one quarter each by May 1 and July 1, but that is a local option rather than a statewide right.

That is the Mississippi rule. Forrest County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Forrest County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the the county Board of Supervisors. The filing deadline is typically the first Monday in August preceding the due date of the taxes. That is the Mississippi rule; Forrest County sets the exact dates and forms. The Mississippi appeal process step by step.

Mississippi rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Mississippi page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Forrest County, Mississippi: 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.