Property tax in Hancock County, Mississippi

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Hancock County, Mississippi is $1,583 a year, which is about 0.71% of the county's median home value of $224,200. That effective rate is higher than the typical Mississippi county (0.69%) and lower 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 Hancock County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Hancock County's average effective rate of 0.71% (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: $1,592 / year

Property tax in Hancock County at a glance

Hancock County, Mississippi property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,583
Median home value	$224,200
Effective tax rate	0.71%
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 Hancock County compare in Mississippi?

Among Mississippi's 81 counties, Hancock County has the 35th highest effective property-tax rate: 34 rank higher and 46 rank lower. That is near the middle for Mississippi. Nationally, it ranks 1855th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Mississippi county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Hancock County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Hancock County's 16,035 owner-occupied homes, 19.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 34.1% pay at least $2,000, and 20% pay under $800. Another 13.7% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Hancock County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	3,207	20%
$800 to $1,499	3,421	21.3%
$1,500 to $1,999	1,735	10.8%
$2,000 to $2,999	2,390	14.9%
$3,000 or more	3,079	19.2%
No property tax paid	2,203	13.7%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,851 and owners without one pay $1,315. 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 Hancock County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,583 is about 2.1% of the median income of Hancock County homeowner households, $76,033 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 79.2% of Hancock 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 Hancock County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,046 in 2015-2019 to $1,583 in 2020-2024, a 51.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 52%, from $147,500 to $224,200.

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 Hancock County

Hancock County borders 5 counties, 2 of them across the state line.

Hancock County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
St. Tammany Parish, LA	0.71%	$2,028	$284,000
Hancock County, MS (this county)	0.71%	$1,583	$224,200
Stone County, MS	0.7%	$1,134	$161,100
Harrison County, MS	0.65%	$1,370	$212,200
Pearl River County, MS	0.65%	$1,189	$182,300
St. Bernard Parish, LA	0.47%	$961	$202,500

How is a home assessed in Hancock County?

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

Is there a homestead exemption in Hancock 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 Hancock County. Mississippi's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Hancock 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. Hancock County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Hancock 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; Hancock 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 Hancock 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.