Property Tax in Jefferson County, Missouri
In Jefferson County, Missouri, the typical homeowner pays $1,835 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $218,800. 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 Jefferson County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Jefferson County homeowners pay more than $1,835 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 $218,800, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.84%. 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.
The key figures for Jefferson County
| Measure | Jefferson County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $1,835 |
| Median home value | $218,800 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.84% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $153 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $839 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $3,356 |
For context, the Missouri medians are $1,887 of tax on $215,600 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Jefferson County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Missouri: #10 of 115 counties
- Median home value rank in Missouri: #14 of 115
- Population rank in Missouri: #7 of 115 (228,227 residents)
- Population density rank: #7 of 115 (348 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Missouri: #39 of 115 (656 sq mi, 1.0% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $153; per $1,000 of home value: $0.84
How Jefferson County compares
Of the 115 Missouri counties with published data, 9 have a higher median property tax bill than Jefferson County's $1,835, putting the county at #10 in the state. Its bill is about the same as the state median of $1,887 and about 38% 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 0.84%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #14 within Missouri.
Some extra context for Jefferson County: the median bill works out to about $153 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $839 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 228,227 people — the #7 most populous county in Missouri, spread over 656 square miles, a density of about 348 people per square mile. Its median home value, $218,800, ranks #14 among the state's 115 counties with data.
Nationally, Jefferson County's median bill of $1,835 ranks #1235 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 39% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 3.7% of Missouri's population, its median home value is about 1% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 8.39% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Jefferson County to the most expensive county, Platte County ($3,365), is $1,530 a year.
Counties nearest Jefferson County in the Missouri ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis city, MO | $1,935 | $185,100 | 1.04% |
| Christian County, MO | $1,878 | $249,700 | 0.75% |
| Warren County, MO | $1,780 | $241,200 | 0.74% |
| Franklin County, MO | $1,774 | $214,900 | 0.83% |
Jefferson County and its population peers
For a like-for-like sense of scale, compare Jefferson County with its national population peers: the counties nearest to its 228,227 residents, listed in the table below with their own Census medians. Of the 9 counties in that group, Jefferson County's median bill of $1,835 is #7 of 9.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable County, MA | 230,073 | $4,090 | $575,900 | 0.71% |
| Oneida County, NY | 229,645 | $3,646 | $171,100 | 2.13% |
| Linn County, IA | 229,463 | $3,396 | $204,400 | 1.66% |
| Whatcom County, WA | 228,432 | $3,819 | $536,100 | 0.71% |
| Montgomery County, TN | 227,957 | $1,671 | $248,300 | 0.67% |
| Richmond city, VA | 227,595 | $2,834 | $328,100 | 0.86% |
| Montgomery County, AL | 227,197 | $598 | $160,100 | 0.37% |
| Mahoning County, OH | 227,063 | $1,975 | $141,100 | 1.40% |
The closest population match is Whatcom County, Washington (228,432 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $3,819 on a median home value of $536,100 — $1,984 less than Jefferson County pays.
Inside Missouri itself, the counties closest to Jefferson County in population are St. Louis city (293,109 residents, median tax $1,935 on a median value of $185,100); Clay County (255,566 residents, median tax $2,817 on a median value of $256,400); Boone County (185,874 residents, median tax $2,232 on a median value of $254,100); Jasper County (123,532 residents, median tax $1,171 on a median value of $158,500). Same state, same broad tax framework — yet the median bills still differ, because assessed values and the mix of county, municipal and school-district rates are set locally.
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. Jefferson County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.84%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $3,356 a year, or around $280 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.88% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $1,258 | $105 |
| $250,000 | $2,098 | $175 |
| $350,000 | $2,936 | $245 |
| $500,000 | $4,195 | $350 |
| $750,000 | $6,292 | $524 |
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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Missouri counties
Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Jefferson County, Missouri?
The median real estate tax paid in Jefferson County, Missouri is $1,835 per year, on a median home value of $218,800 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Jefferson County, Missouri?
On a derived basis, 0.84%: the county's median tax bill of $1,835 divided by its median home value of $218,800. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Jefferson County compare with the rest of Missouri?
Jefferson County ranks #10 of 115 Missouri counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $1,835 is about the same as the Missouri median of $1,887.
How are property taxes calculated in Jefferson County, Missouri?
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 Jefferson County is $1,835 of tax on a $218,800 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Jefferson County, Missouri?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Jefferson 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.