Property tax in Pettis County, Missouri

Updated

The median property tax bill in Pettis County, Missouri is $1,289 a year, which is about 0.78% of the county's median home value of $166,300. That effective rate is higher than the typical Missouri county (0.7%) 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 Pettis County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Pettis County's average effective rate of 0.78% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.


Estimated property tax: $1,297 / year

Property tax in Pettis County at a glance

Pettis County, Missouri property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
MeasureValue
Median annual property tax$1,289
Median home value$166,300
Effective tax rate0.78%
Typical Missouri county rate0.7%
National median county rate0.81%

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 Pettis County compare in Missouri?

Among Missouri's 115 counties, Pettis County has the 34th highest effective property-tax rate: 33 rank higher and 81 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Missouri. Nationally, it ranks 1648th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Missouri county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Pettis County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Pettis County's 11,751 owner-occupied homes, 7.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 23.6% pay at least $2,000, and 24.7% pay under $800. Another 4.5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Pettis County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual billHomesShare
Under $8002,89824.7%
$800 to $1,4993,90133.2%
$1,500 to $1,9991,65414.1%
$2,000 to $2,9991,87516%
$3,000 or more8907.6%
No property tax paid5334.5%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,366 and owners without one pay $1,209. 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 Pettis County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,289 is about 1.8% of the median income of Pettis County homeowner households, $70,634 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 69.1% of Pettis 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 Pettis County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,048 in 2015-2019 to $1,289 in 2020-2024, a 23% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 39.6%, from $119,100 to $166,300. 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 Pettis County

Pettis County borders 7 counties.

Pettis County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
CountyEffective rateMedian billMedian home value
Henry County, MO0.81%$1,296$160,600
Saline County, MO0.78%$1,177$150,500
Pettis County, MO (this county)0.78%$1,289$166,300
Lafayette County, MO0.73%$1,581$216,500
Cooper County, MO0.66%$1,334$203,500
Johnson County, MO0.66%$1,565$235,700
Morgan County, MO0.56%$1,082$194,400
Benton County, MO0.53%$937$177,900

How is a home assessed in Pettis County?

Missouri assesses homes at 19% of market value in every county, Pettis County included. How Missouri assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Pettis County?

No. Missouri has no general homestead exemption; relief comes through the income-tested Property Tax Credit and the county-option senior freeze. That is the Missouri rule, and it applies in Pettis County. Missouri's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Pettis County?

One annual bill, due no later than December 31, with mailed payments credited by postmark. Collectors typically mail bills in November. There is no statewide installment plan, though a county may adopt one by ordinance.

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

How to appeal your Pettis County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the County Board of Equalization, then the Missouri State Tax Commission. The filing deadline is typically the second Monday in July (county Board of Equalization). That is the Missouri rule; Pettis County sets the exact dates and forms. The Missouri appeal process step by step.

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

Work out your own numbers

Sources