Property tax in St. Louis County, Missouri
In St. Louis County, the property tax bill comes from the St. Louis County Collector of Revenue. 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 County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in St. Louis County, Missouri is $3,335 a year, which is about 1.2% of the county's median home value of $276,800. 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 County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the St. Louis County Collector of Revenue. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the St. Louis County 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.
One Collector of Revenue bills and collects for more than 200 taxing districts in the county, including school, fire and library districts, so a single bill covers them all. The Assessor reassesses real estate every two years, in odd-numbered years, so 2027 is the next reassessment. Paying online by e-check costs a flat $0.50; debit cards cost 0.85% and credit cards 2.29% of the payment, each with a $2.00 minimum. Revenue offices take in-person payments Monday through Thursday only. The 2026 appeal window closed on July 13, 2026.
When are property taxes due in St. Louis County?
For the 2026 bill, St. Louis County has one due date: December 31, 2026. Taxes must be paid or postmarked by December 31 of the year they are billed; an envelope postmarked after December 31 is late. December 31, 2026 is a Thursday. Tax amounts are posted online in mid to late October and paper bills generally arrive a few weeks later. A free pre-payment plan spreads the current year's taxes over four payments, based on last year's amount with the last payment adjusted to the actual bill; your prior year's taxes must be paid in full to enroll. Taxes paid or postmarked after December 31 are charged interest of up to 18% a year plus a 2% penalty, under Missouri law. Missouri makes unpaid real estate taxes delinquent on January 1 each year.
From St. Louis County'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 County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at St. Louis County's average effective rate of 1.2% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $3,322 / year
Property tax in St. Louis County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,335 |
| Median home value | $276,800 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.2% |
| 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 County compare in Missouri?
Among Missouri's 115 counties, St. Louis County has the highest effective property-tax rate. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 732nd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Missouri county ranked.
How much do homeowners in St. Louis County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across St. Louis County's 286,530 owner-occupied homes, 54.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 75.7% pay at least $2,000, and 3.8% pay under $800. Another 1.8% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 10,812 | 3.8% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 25,716 | 9% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 27,913 | 9.7% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 60,774 | 21.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 156,250 | 54.5% |
| No property tax paid | 5,065 | 1.8% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,360 and owners without one pay $3,291. That is within 10% either way, so in St. Louis County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the St. Louis County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,335 is about 3.2% of the median income of St. Louis County homeowner households, $105,547 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 69.2% of St. Louis 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 St. Louis County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,722 in 2015-2019 to $3,335 in 2020-2024, a 22.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 39.2%, from $198,800 to $276,800. 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 St. Louis County
St. Louis County borders 7 counties, 3 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 |
| Monroe County, IL | 1.63% | $4,588 | $282,100 |
| St. Louis County, MO (this county) | 1.2% | $3,335 | $276,800 |
| St. Charles County, MO | 1.08% | $3,480 | $320,800 |
| St. Louis city, MO | 1.03% | $2,033 | $197,500 |
| Franklin County, MO | 0.8% | $1,813 | $227,600 |
| Jefferson County, MO | 0.8% | $1,906 | $237,200 |
How is a home assessed in St. Louis County?
Missouri assesses homes at 19% of market value in every county, St. Louis County included. How Missouri assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County. Missouri's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Missouri programs, St. Louis County runs its own:
- Senior Property Tax Freeze: For owners aged 62 or older by December 31 of the year they apply who live in the home as their primary residence, the county freezes most of the home's real estate tax at the amount for the first year they were approved, so increases from assessments or rate changes are not billed; the Blind Pension Fund levy is not frozen, and there is no refund. Applications are closed as of September 2026 and the county has not yet announced the next application period.
How to appeal your St. Louis County property assessment
In St. Louis County you appeal to the St. Louis County Board of Equalization. The deadline: For 2026, appeals could be filed from May 1 through the second Monday in July (July 13, 2026), with all evidence due by the same date; mailed appeals had to be postmarked by July 13 and emailed appeals are not accepted. A Board decision can be appealed to the Missouri State Tax Commission by September 30 of the assessment year or within 30 days of the Board's decision letter, 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 County'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 County
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 County, 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.