Property tax in Smith County, Mississippi

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Smith County, Mississippi is $469 a year, which is about 0.42% of the county's median home value of $112,600. That effective rate is lower 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 Smith County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Smith County's average effective rate of 0.42% (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: $473 / year

Property tax in Smith County at a glance

Smith County, Mississippi property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$469
Median home value	$112,600
Effective tax rate	0.42%
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 Smith County compare in Mississippi?

Among Mississippi's 81 counties, Smith County has the 80th highest effective property-tax rate: 79 rank higher and 1 rank lower. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 2877th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Mississippi county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Smith County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Smith County's 4,889 owner-occupied homes, 2.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 4.6% pay at least $2,000, and 43.1% pay under $800. Another 35.4% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Smith County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	2,105	43.1%
$800 to $1,499	661	13.5%
$1,500 to $1,999	171	3.5%
$2,000 to $2,999	120	2.5%
$3,000 or more	103	2.1%
No property tax paid	1,729	35.4%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $745 and owners without one pay $374. 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 $469 is about 0.8% of the median income of Smith County homeowner households, $61,764 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 87.4% 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?

The survey cannot tell. The median bill was $550 in 2015-2019 and $469 in 2020-2024, but that $81 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 Smith County

Smith County borders 7 counties.

Smith County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Jones County, MS	0.74%	$1,053	$143,100
Newton County, MS	0.73%	$778	$106,300
Jasper County, MS	0.69%	$737	$107,100
Scott County, MS	0.67%	$710	$106,700
Simpson County, MS	0.61%	$751	$122,200
Rankin County, MS	0.6%	$1,428	$237,400
Covington County, MS	0.59%	$619	$105,100
Smith County, MS (this county)	0.42%	$469	$112,600

How is a home assessed in Smith County?

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

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

When are property taxes due in Smith 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. 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 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; Smith 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 Smith 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.