Property Tax in St. Louis County, Minnesota
Homeowners in St. Louis County, Minnesota pay a median of $2,142 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $208,500. Those are the Census Bureau's published medians for the county (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023) — the typical bill and the typical home value for owner-occupied households.
What the St. Louis County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $2,142 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in St. Louis County, and $208,500 is the middle home value. Neither figure describes a specific property — together they describe the typical homeowner's situation in the county.
The derived effective rate for St. Louis County is 1.03% (median tax ÷ median value). Treat it as an estimate for comparison only: it comes from survey medians of different households, not from the county's rate schedule.
The key figures for St. Louis County
| Measure | St. Louis County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $2,142 |
| Median home value | $208,500 |
| Derived effective rate* | 1.03% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $178 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $1,027 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $4,108 |
For context, the Minnesota medians are $3,184 of tax on $305,500 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
St. Louis County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Minnesota: #39 of 87 counties
- Median home value rank in Minnesota: #50 of 87
- Population rank in Minnesota: #6 of 87 (200,056 residents)
- Population density rank: #38 of 87 (32 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Minnesota: #1 of 87 (6,248 sq mi, 7.8% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $178; per $1,000 of home value: $1.03
How St. Louis County compares
Of the 87 Minnesota counties with published data, 38 have a higher median property tax bill than St. Louis County's $2,142, putting the county at #39 in the state. Its bill is about 33% lower than the state median of $3,184 and about 28% lower than the national median of $2,969.
Rates and values pull in opposite directions: an expensive housing market can produce big bills at ordinary rates. Here the derived rate is 1.03%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #50 within Minnesota.
Some extra context for St. Louis County: the median bill works out to about $178 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $1,027 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 200,056 people — the #6 most populous county in Minnesota, spread over 6,248 square miles, a density of about 32 people per square mile. Its median home value, $208,500, ranks #50 among the state's 87 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 954 record a higher median tax bill than St. Louis County — it sits in the top 30% nationally. The county holds roughly 3.5% of Minnesota's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $208,500 versus $305,500), and a decade at the derived rate of 1.03% adds up to about 10.27% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Traverse County, medians $1,070 — $1,072 less than St. Louis County per year.
Counties nearest St. Louis County in the Minnesota ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeker County, MN | $2,159 | $228,900 | 0.94% |
| Morrison County, MN | $2,154 | $237,000 | 0.91% |
| Polk County, MN | $2,109 | $211,100 | 1.00% |
| Winona County, MN | $2,099 | $222,900 | 0.94% |
St. Louis County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to St. Louis County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, St. Louis County ($2,142) ranks #6 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hernando County, FL | 201,512 | $1,732 | $240,700 | 0.72% |
| Trumbull County, OH | 201,367 | $1,806 | $128,100 | 1.41% |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 200,689 | $3,090 | $266,600 | 1.16% |
| Sumner County, TN | 200,553 | $1,944 | $364,000 | 0.53% |
| Broome County, NY | 197,738 | $3,824 | $145,100 | 2.63% |
| Racine County, WI | 196,888 | $4,071 | $239,400 | 1.70% |
| Butler County, PA | 195,870 | $2,950 | $275,600 | 1.07% |
| Sangamon County, IL | 195,217 | $3,369 | $170,300 | 1.98% |
The closest population match is Sumner County, Tennessee (200,553 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,944 on a median home value of $364,000 — $198 more than St. Louis County pays.
Staying within Minnesota, the counties nearest St. Louis County by population are Anoka County (367,095 residents, median tax $3,099 on a median value of $325,800); Washington County (272,298 residents, median tax $4,012 on a median value of $400,900); Olmsted County (163,425 residents, median tax $3,314 on a median value of $304,500); Stearns County (159,358 residents, median tax $2,617 on a median value of $256,500). The spread in their median bills — all under the same state framework — shows how much of the property tax burden is decided county by county and district by district.
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 1.03%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $1,027 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $4,108. 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 St. Louis County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 1.03% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for St. Louis County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 1.04% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,540 | $128 |
| $250,000 | $2,567 | $214 |
| $350,000 | $3,594 | $300 |
| $500,000 | $5,135 | $428 |
| $750,000 | $7,702 | $642 |
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 St. Louis County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the St. Louis County assessor: wrong square footage, an extra room, or a missing homestead exemption are common and fixable. Next, line your assessed value up against recent sales of genuinely similar homes nearby. Many disputes end at an informal conversation with the assessor's office; if yours does not, file the formal appeal with the review board named on your notice before its deadline, evidence attached, and keep paying the bill in the meantime so penalties do not build up.
More Minnesota counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in St. Louis County, Minnesota?
The median real estate tax paid in St. Louis County, Minnesota is $2,142 per year, on a median home value of $208,500 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in St. Louis County, Minnesota?
The derived effective rate is 1.03% — the median bill ($2,142) expressed as a share of the median home value ($208,500). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does St. Louis County compare with the rest of Minnesota?
By median taxes paid, St. Louis County stands at #39 among the 87 Minnesota counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $2,142 median bill is about 33% lower than the state median ($3,184), and 38 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in St. Louis County, Minnesota?
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 St. Louis County is $2,142 of tax on a $208,500 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in St. Louis County, Minnesota?
Yes. Request your property record card from the St. Louis County assessor's office and check it for errors, then compare your assessed value with recent sales of similar homes. If it still looks too high, file a formal appeal with the local review board named on your assessment notice before the deadline printed on the notice — windows are short, often 30 to 90 days.