Property tax in St. Louis city, Missouri
In St. Louis city, the property tax bill comes from the City of St. Louis Collector of Revenue, Real Estate Tax Department. The 2026 bill is due December 31, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from St. Louis city's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in St. Louis city, Missouri is $2,033 a year, which is about 1.03% of the county's median home value of $197,500. That effective rate is higher than the typical Missouri county (0.7%) 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.
Who sends the property tax bill in St. Louis city, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the City of St. Louis Collector of Revenue, Real Estate Tax Department. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the City of St. Louis Office of the Assessor, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
St. Louis city is an independent city and is not part of St. Louis County, which has its own assessor and collector and a different bill. The city reassesses property every odd-numbered year, with notices going out around mid-May, so 2027 is the next reassessment. Homeowners with a mortgage escrow account have their bill sent to the lender. Online payments go through the PayIt portal, with a 2.45% fee for cards and $1.25 for bank transfers. Applications for the senior tax freeze are closed until March 1, 2027, and the amount of each 2026 freeze credit will not be known until tax rates are set in November 2026.
When are property taxes due in St. Louis city?
For the 2026 bill, St. Louis city has one due date: December 31, 2026. Tax notices are mailed each November, and a homeowner with a mortgage escrow account has the bill sent to the lender. Missouri law counts a mailed payment as paid on its postmark date. December 31, 2026 is a Thursday. Any balance still unpaid on January 1 is delinquent. The Collector charges a one-time penalty of 2% plus interest of 2% a month, up to 18% a year, under Missouri law, until the tax is paid in full. A tax suit is filed on delinquent property, and the property can be sold about a year after the suit is filed.
From St. Louis city's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in St. Louis city
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at St. Louis city's average effective rate of 1.03% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,034 / year
Property tax in St. Louis city at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,033 |
| Median home value | $197,500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.03% |
| Typical Missouri county rate | 0.7% |
| 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 St. Louis city compare in Missouri?
Among Missouri's 115 counties, St. Louis city has the 7th highest effective property-tax rate: 6 rank higher and 108 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 1042nd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Missouri county ranked.
How much do homeowners in St. Louis city actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across St. Louis city's 65,612 owner-occupied homes, 29% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 49.6% pay at least $2,000, and 21% pay under $800. Another 2.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 13,755 | 21% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 11,236 | 17.1% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 6,667 | 10.2% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 13,516 | 20.6% |
| $3,000 or more | 19,029 | 29% |
| No property tax paid | 1,409 | 2.1% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,234 and owners without one pay $1,550. 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 St. Louis city property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,033 is about 2.4% of the median income of St. Louis city homeowner households, $85,328 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 45.3% of St. Louis city's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in St. Louis city?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,478 in 2015-2019 to $2,033 in 2020-2024, a 37.6% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 42.4%, from $138,700 to $197,500.
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 St. Louis city
St. Louis city borders 3 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Clair County, IL | 2.03% | $3,665 | $180,300 |
| Madison County, IL | 1.92% | $3,319 | $173,000 |
| St. Louis County, MO | 1.2% | $3,335 | $276,800 |
| St. Louis city, MO (this county) | 1.03% | $2,033 | $197,500 |
How is a home assessed in St. Louis city?
Missouri assesses homes at 19% of market value in every county, St. Louis city included. How Missouri assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. Missouri's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Missouri programs, St. Louis city runs its own:
- Senior Citizen Property Tax Freeze Credit: For owner-occupants aged 62 or older by December 31 whose home's market value from the most recent assessment is $528,392 or less (the 2026 limit, which rises each year with inflation), whose prior-year taxes are paid and whose home is not tax-abated; it holds the city's own levies (the county rate, parks, public health, hospital and general revenue) at the prior year's amount, while debt service, schools, community college, library, sewer, zoo and museum and other district taxes can still rise. It must be renewed every year. Apply by June 30.
How to appeal your St. Louis city property assessment
In St. Louis city you appeal to the City of St. Louis Board of Equalization. The deadline: Informal reviews with the Assessor's Office run May 1 through June 23. A written appeal to the Board of Equalization must be filed with the Assessor's Office by the second Monday in July. For 2026 that was July 13, 2026; 2027 is the next reassessment year, and its deadline is July 12, 2027. A Board decision can be appealed to the State Tax Commission of Missouri by September 30 or within 30 days of the decision, whichever is later. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Missouri's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Missouri rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Missouri 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 St. Louis city'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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Missouri income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Missouri actually taxes.
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Sales tax in St. Louis city
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for St. Louis city, Missouri: 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.