Property Tax in Sebastian County, Arkansas
The median real estate tax bill in Sebastian County, Arkansas is $1,081 per year, and the median home is worth $166,000. Both figures are the US Census Bureau's survey medians for owner-occupied households (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What the Sebastian County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Sebastian County homeowners pay more than $1,081 a year and half pay less. The exact bill for any one home depends on its assessed value, exemptions, and which school, municipal and special districts cover it.
Set against the median home value of $166,000, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.65%. That rate is an estimate computed from the two medians — no county publishes a rate calculated this way — but it adjusts for home prices, which makes comparisons between counties more meaningful.
Sebastian County by the numbers
| Measure | Sebastian County | Arkansas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $1,081 | $1,003 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $166,000 | $175,300 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.65% | 0.57% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $90 | $84 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Sebastian County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Arkansas: #8 of 75 counties
- Median home value rank in Arkansas: #14 of 75
- Population rank in Arkansas: #4 of 75 (128,448 residents)
- Population density rank: #4 of 75 (242 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Arkansas: #74 of 75 (531 sq mi, 1.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $90; per $1,000 of home value: $0.65
How Sebastian County compares
The median tax bill in Sebastian County is about 8% higher than the state median ($1,003 for Arkansas) and about 64% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #8 out of 75 Arkansas counties with published Census data — 7 counties in the state have a higher median bill.
Comparisons cut both ways: a county can have a modest rate but high bills because homes are expensive, or a high rate but modest bills because homes are cheaper. Sebastian County's derived rate of 0.65% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Sebastian County: the median bill works out to about $90 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $651 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 128,448 people — the #4 most populous county in Arkansas, spread over 531 square miles, a density of about 242 people per square mile. Its median home value, $166,000, ranks #14 among the state's 75 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 2261 record a higher median tax bill than Sebastian County — it sits in the top 72% nationally. The county holds roughly 4.2% of Arkansas's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $166,000 versus $175,300), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.65% adds up to about 6.51% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Monroe County, medians $405 — $676 less than Sebastian County per year.
Counties nearest Sebastian County in the Arkansas ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lonoke County, AR | $1,178 | $184,100 | 0.64% |
| Craighead County, AR | $1,084 | $198,700 | 0.55% |
| Carroll County, AR | $980 | $186,300 | 0.53% |
| Crittenden County, AR | $934 | $155,100 | 0.60% |
Sebastian County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Sebastian County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Sebastian County ($1,081) ranks #8 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County, GA | 129,267 | $2,444 | $271,900 | 0.90% |
| Bossier Parish, LA | 129,134 | $1,380 | $215,100 | 0.64% |
| Ascension Parish, LA | 128,593 | $1,419 | $265,300 | 0.54% |
| Rapides Parish, LA | 128,470 | $1,024 | $179,100 | 0.57% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 128,047 | $3,891 | $283,800 | 1.37% |
| Bonneville County, ID | 127,056 | $1,811 | $327,000 | 0.55% |
| Fayette County, PA | 126,967 | $1,516 | $126,900 | 1.20% |
| Chautauqua County, NY | 126,329 | $2,846 | $119,300 | 2.39% |
The closest population match is Rapides Parish, Louisiana (128,470 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,024 on a median home value of $179,100 — $57 more than Sebastian County pays.
Sebastian County's nearest population neighbours within Arkansas are Benton County (294,541 residents, median tax $1,731 on a median value of $285,100); Washington County (251,863 residents, median tax $1,465 on a median value of $266,000); Faulkner County (126,001 residents, median tax $1,201 on a median value of $211,300); Saline County (125,724 residents, median tax $1,335 on a median value of $211,700). Comparing them is a reminder that even inside one state's rules, the bill follows local home values and local district rates more than anything decided at the state level.
How the tax is worked out
The bill is built in stages. First the assessor puts a market value on the property. Exemptions — a homestead exemption above all — then reduce the taxable amount. Finally the combined local rate is applied. To see the scale: at the county's derived rate of 0.65%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $651 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $2,604. Real bills use the official assessment and district rates, not this derived figure, so treat the example as a sense of scale only.
Illustrative bills in Sebastian County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.65% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Sebastian County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.57% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $976 | $81 |
| $250,000 | $1,628 | $136 |
| $350,000 | $2,278 | $190 |
| $500,000 | $3,255 | $271 |
| $750,000 | $4,882 | $407 |
Illustration only: real bills are computed from the assessed value, exemptions, and the combined rates of the property's actual taxing districts.
Checking your assessment in Sebastian County
Believe your assessment is too high? The practical order of attack is: obtain your record card and audit it line by line; collect comparable recent sales in Sebastian County; ask the assessor's office to correct anything plainly wrong; and, if the value still seems off, lodge a formal appeal ahead of the deadline printed on your assessment notice. Windows are short — often 30 to 90 days — and late appeals are usually rejected outright, however strong the case.
More Arkansas counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Sebastian County, Arkansas?
The median real estate tax paid in Sebastian County, Arkansas is $1,081 per year, on a median home value of $166,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Sebastian County, Arkansas?
The derived effective rate is 0.65% — the median bill ($1,081) expressed as a share of the median home value ($166,000). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Sebastian County compare with the rest of Arkansas?
By median taxes paid, Sebastian County stands at #8 among the 75 Arkansas counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $1,081 median bill is about 8% higher than the state median ($1,003), and 7 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Sebastian County, Arkansas?
Three steps produce the bill: an assessment of market value by the local assessor, a reduction for exemptions you qualify for (a homestead exemption is the common one), and multiplication by the combined rates of the county, municipality, school district and any special districts covering the property. The median result in Sebastian County is $1,081 of tax on a $166,000 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Sebastian County, Arkansas?
Yes — appeals are handled locally. Start with the Sebastian County assessor's property record card for your home, correct any factual errors, and back your case with comparable recent sales. Formal appeals go to the review board named on your assessment notice and must be filed by its deadline, typically within 30 to 90 days.