Property Tax in McCracken County, Kentucky

What the McCracken County numbers mean

The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of McCracken County homeowners pay more than $1,342 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 $182,900, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.73%. 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.

McCracken County by the numbers

*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.

McCracken County at a glance

• Median tax rank in Kentucky: #29 of 120 counties
• Median home value rank in Kentucky: #31 of 120
• Population rank in Kentucky: #13 of 120 (67,584 residents)
• Population density rank: #10 of 120 (272 people per square mile)
• Land area rank in Kentucky: #85 of 120 (248 sq mi, 0.6% of the combined county land area)
• Median tax as a monthly figure: $112; per $1,000 of home value: $0.73

How McCracken County compares

The median tax bill in McCracken County is about 9% lower than the state median ($1,472 for Kentucky) and about 55% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #29 out of 120 Kentucky counties with published Census data — 28 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. McCracken County's derived rate of 0.73% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.

Some extra context for McCracken County: the median bill works out to about $112 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $734 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 67,584 people — the #13 most populous county in Kentucky, spread over 248 square miles, a density of about 272 people per square mile. Its median home value, $182,900, ranks #31 among the state's 120 counties with data.

Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 1880 record a higher median tax bill than McCracken County — it sits in the top 60% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.5% of Kentucky's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $182,900 versus $192,300), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.73% adds up to about 7.34% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Wolfe County, medians $391 — $951 less than McCracken County per year.

Counties nearest McCracken County in the Kentucky ranking

McCracken County and its population peers

Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to McCracken County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, McCracken County ($1,342) ranks #8 of 9 by median tax paid.

The closest population match is Madison County, New York (67,572 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $4,058 on a median home value of $176,800 — $2,716 less than McCracken County pays.

McCracken County's nearest population neighbours within Kentucky are Christian County (72,599 residents, median tax $1,065 on a median value of $149,200); Oldham County (68,600 residents, median tax $3,454 on a median value of $375,000); Pulaski County (65,503 residents, median tax $1,010 on a median value of $156,300); Laurel County (62,731 residents, median tax $845 on a median value of $143,400). 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

As an illustration of the arithmetic: at McCracken County's derived rate of 0.73%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $2,936 a year. That is only an illustration using the derived rate — a real bill is computed from the property's assessed value, its exemptions, and the combined rates of its specific taxing districts, so it can be higher or lower.

The usual sequence is: the local assessor values the property; exemptions are applied; the taxable value is multiplied by the combined local rates; and the county bills and collects the tax, distributing it to the schools, municipalities and districts that levied it.

Illustrative bills in McCracken County at the derived rate

The derived rate of 0.73% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for McCracken County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.77% and the US figure of 0.98%:

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 McCracken County

If your bill looks wrong, work through these steps:

1. Get your property record card from the assessor and check the basics — living area, lot size, bedrooms, condition, and any exemptions you should have.
2. Compare your assessed value with recent sale prices of similar homes in McCracken County.
3. Talk to the assessor's office informally first; clear errors are often fixed without a hearing.
4. If needed, file a formal appeal with the local review board before the deadline on your assessment notice, with your evidence attached.
5. Keep paying the bill as issued while the appeal runs, unless your notice says otherwise — unpaid taxes accrue penalties regardless of an appeal.

More Kentucky counties

• Oldham County, KY — $3,454
• Pulaski County, KY — $1,010
• Laurel County, KY — $845
• Christian County, KY — $1,065
• Scott County, KY — $1,800
• Pike County, KY — $758

Frequently asked questions