Property Tax in Forrest County, Mississippi
The median real estate tax bill in Forrest County, Mississippi is $1,284 per year, and the median home is worth $152,900. 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 Forrest County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Forrest County pay more than $1,284, and half pay less. Your own bill is set by your home's assessed value, the exemptions you qualify for, and the local taxing districts your property sits in — so individual bills vary widely around the median.
Dividing the median tax by the median home value gives a derived effective rate of 0.84% for Forrest County. It is an estimate built from two survey medians, not the county's official rate, but it is a fair way to compare the local tax burden with other counties where home values are very different.
Forrest County by the numbers
| Measure | Forrest County | Mississippi | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $1,284 | $1,189 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $152,900 | $161,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.84% | 0.74% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $107 | $99 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Forrest County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Mississippi: #14 of 82 counties
- Median home value rank in Mississippi: #19 of 82
- Population rank in Mississippi: #8 of 82 (78,027 residents)
- Population density rank: #7 of 82 (167 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Mississippi: #56 of 82 (466 sq mi, 1.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $107; per $1,000 of home value: $0.84
How Forrest County compares
Set against its state, Forrest County's median bill of $1,284 is about 8% higher than the Mississippi median ($1,189). Against the country as a whole it is about 57% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #14 of 82 Mississippi counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Forrest County's median home, at $152,900, ranks #19 by value in Mississippi, while its derived rate of 0.84% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Forrest County: the median bill works out to about $107 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $840 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 78,027 people — the #8 most populous county in Mississippi, spread over 466 square miles, a density of about 167 people per square mile. Its median home value, $152,900, ranks #19 among the state's 82 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 1972 record a higher median tax bill than Forrest County — it sits in the top 63% nationally. The county holds roughly 2.6% of Mississippi's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $152,900 versus $161,400), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.84% adds up to about 8.40% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Issaquena County, medians $314 — $970 less than Forrest County per year.
Counties nearest Forrest County in the Mississippi ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County, MS | $1,289 | $199,300 | 0.65% |
| Marshall County, MS | $1,286 | $172,200 | 0.75% |
| Grenada County, MS | $1,247 | $123,400 | 1.01% |
| Warren County, MS | $1,234 | $144,400 | 0.85% |
Forrest County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Forrest County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 78,027 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Forrest County's median bill of $1,284 is #8 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson County, NC | 78,648 | $1,428 | $171,800 | 0.83% |
| Chatham County, NC | 78,319 | $2,671 | $397,800 | 0.67% |
| Walker County, TX | 78,292 | $2,312 | $207,900 | 1.11% |
| Anderson County, TN | 78,175 | $1,333 | $215,800 | 0.62% |
| Augusta County, VA | 77,713 | $1,379 | $281,400 | 0.49% |
| Clallam County, WA | 77,593 | $2,860 | $385,600 | 0.74% |
| White County, AR | 77,395 | $761 | $159,600 | 0.48% |
| Valencia County, NM | 77,382 | $1,365 | $206,800 | 0.66% |
The closest population match is Anderson County, Tennessee (78,175 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $1,333 on a median home value of $215,800 — $49 less than Forrest County pays.
Staying within Mississippi, the counties nearest Forrest County by population are Madison County (110,303 residents, median tax $2,071 on a median value of $286,300); Lee County (83,138 residents, median tax $1,356 on a median value of $187,800); Lauderdale County (71,984 residents, median tax $1,223 on a median value of $124,500); Jones County (66,839 residents, median tax $1,116 on a median value of $126,800). 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
Think of the final bill as three ingredients: the assessed value of the property, the exemptions subtracted from it, and the combined rate of every district the property sits in. Forrest County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.84%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $3,360 a year, or around $280 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Forrest County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.84% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Forrest County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.74% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,260 | $105 |
| $250,000 | $2,100 | $175 |
| $350,000 | $2,940 | $245 |
| $500,000 | $4,200 | $350 |
| $750,000 | $6,300 | $525 |
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 Forrest 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 Forrest 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Forrest County, Mississippi?
The median real estate tax paid in Forrest County, Mississippi is $1,284 per year, on a median home value of $152,900 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Forrest County, Mississippi?
The derived effective rate is 0.84% — the median bill ($1,284) expressed as a share of the median home value ($152,900). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Forrest County compare with the rest of Mississippi?
Forrest County ranks #14 of 82 Mississippi counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $1,284 is about 8% higher than the Mississippi median of $1,189.
How are property taxes calculated in Forrest County, Mississippi?
The assessor estimates your property's market value; exemptions (such as a homestead exemption) reduce the taxable amount; and the result is multiplied by the combined rates of the local taxing districts — county, municipality, school district and any special districts. In Forrest County, the median outcome of that process is a bill of $1,284 on a median home value of $152,900.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Forrest County, Mississippi?
Yes — appeals are handled locally. Start with the Forrest 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.