Property Tax in Lee County, Mississippi
In Lee County, Mississippi, the typical homeowner pays $1,356 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $187,800. The figures on this page are the Census Bureau's published medians (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023), shown exactly as released.
What the Lee County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Lee County pay more than $1,356, 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 0.72% for Lee 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.
Lee County by the numbers
| Measure | Lee County | Mississippi | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $1,356 | $1,189 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $187,800 | $161,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.72% | 0.74% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $113 | $99 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Lee County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Mississippi: #9 of 82 counties
- Median home value rank in Mississippi: #9 of 82
- Population rank in Mississippi: #7 of 82 (83,138 residents)
- Population density rank: #6 of 82 (185 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Mississippi: #61 of 82 (449 sq mi, 1.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $113; per $1,000 of home value: $0.72
How Lee County compares
Set against its state, Lee County's median bill of $1,356 is about 14% higher than the Mississippi median ($1,189). Against the country as a whole it is about 54% lower than the US median ($2,969). That places the county #9 of 82 Mississippi counties ranked by median taxes paid.
Remember what drives the ranking: bills follow home values as much as rates. Lee County's median home, at $187,800, ranks #9 by value in Mississippi, while its derived rate of 0.72% compares with a derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Lee County: the median bill works out to about $113 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $722 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 83,138 people — the #7 most populous county in Mississippi, spread over 449 square miles, a density of about 185 people per square mile. Its median home value, $187,800, ranks #9 among the state's 82 counties with data.
Nationally, Lee County's median bill of $1,356 ranks #1856 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 59% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 2.8% of Mississippi's population, its median home value is about 16% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 7.22% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Lee County to the most expensive county, Madison County ($2,071), is $715 a year.
Counties nearest Lee County in the Mississippi ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hinds County, MS | $1,389 | $151,200 | 0.92% |
| Rankin County, MS | $1,384 | $223,400 | 0.62% |
| Jackson County, MS | $1,332 | $181,700 | 0.73% |
| Tate County, MS | $1,328 | $173,000 | 0.77% |
Lee County and its population peers
Population is a useful lens on these figures, so the table below sets Lee County beside the counties closest to it in population anywhere in the country — communities of a similar scale operating under different state and local tax systems. Ranked by median tax paid within this peer group of 9, Lee County's $1,356 bill is #8 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orangeburg County, SC | 83,531 | $724 | $109,700 | 0.66% |
| Indiana County, PA | 83,213 | $2,271 | $145,400 | 1.56% |
| Bullitt County, KY | 83,209 | $1,994 | $233,700 | 0.85% |
| Crawford County, PA | 83,189 | $2,099 | $143,400 | 1.46% |
| Yuba County, CA | 83,079 | $2,865 | $380,000 | 0.75% |
| Bartholomew County, IN | 82,881 | $1,597 | $221,100 | 0.72% |
| Chemung County, NY | 82,805 | $3,332 | $132,100 | 2.52% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 82,493 | $3,136 | $260,600 | 1.20% |
The closest population match is Crawford County, Pennsylvania (83,189 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $2,099 on a median home value of $143,400 — $743 less than Lee County pays.
Lee County's nearest population neighbours within Mississippi are Jackson County (144,437 residents, median tax $1,332 on a median value of $181,700); Madison County (110,303 residents, median tax $2,071 on a median value of $286,300); Forrest County (78,027 residents, median tax $1,284 on a median value of $152,900); Lauderdale County (71,984 residents, median tax $1,223 on a median value of $124,500). 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 0.72%, each $100,000 of value corresponds to about $722 of tax a year, and a $400,000 home to roughly $2,888. 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 Lee County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.72% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Lee 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 | $1,083 | $90 |
| $250,000 | $1,805 | $150 |
| $350,000 | $2,527 | $211 |
| $500,000 | $3,610 | $301 |
| $750,000 | $5,415 | $451 |
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 Lee 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 Lee 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 Mississippi counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Lee County, Mississippi?
The median real estate tax paid in Lee County, Mississippi is $1,356 per year, on a median home value of $187,800 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Lee County, Mississippi?
On a derived basis, 0.72%: the county's median tax bill of $1,356 divided by its median home value of $187,800. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Lee County compare with the rest of Mississippi?
Lee County ranks #9 of 82 Mississippi counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $1,356 is about 14% higher than the Mississippi median of $1,189.
How are property taxes calculated in Lee County, Mississippi?
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 Lee County is $1,356 of tax on a $187,800 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Lee County, Mississippi?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Lee 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.