How Missouri property tax works
Homes in Missouri are assessed at 19% of market value, and rates are per $100 of assessed value. A $300,000 house has a $57,000 assessed value, so every $1 of rate costs $570.
Your rate is the sum of every taxing authority where you live: the school district (usually more than half), the city, the county, the library, the community college, fire protection districts and a tiny state levy for the blind pension fund. Counties reassess in odd-numbered years, and when values rise, local governments have to roll their rates back so revenue grows no faster than inflation or 5%.
2025 combined rates by city
These totals add up the 2025 levies the State Auditor reviewed for each city's main school and fire district. They leave out small special districts (TIF, community improvement and similar), so check your own bill. The last column is the tax on a $300,000 home.
| City (school district) | County | Total per $100 | School share | Effective rate | Tax on $300,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florissant (Hazelwood) | St. Louis | 8.5789 | 1.63% | $4,890 | |
| Kansas City (KC Public Schools) | Jackson | 8.3882 | 5.4699 | 1.59% | $4,781 |
| Blue Springs | Jackson | 8.1900 | 5.1685 | 1.56% | $4,668 |
| St. Louis City | St. Louis City | 8.1867 | 4.9085 | 1.56% | $4,666 |
| Florissant (Ferguson-Florissant) | St. Louis | 7.4308 | 1.41% | $4,236 | |
| Lee's Summit | Jackson | 7.2706 | 4.7391 | 1.38% | $4,144 |
| Independence | Jackson | 7.1467 | 5.2371 | 1.36% | $4,074 |
| St. Joseph | Buchanan | 7.0864 | 4.9163 | 1.35% | $4,039 |
| Chesterfield (Rockwood) | St. Louis | 6.9373 | 1.32% | $3,954 | |
| Columbia | Boone | 6.5484 | 5.5542 | 1.24% | $3,733 |
| O'Fallon (Fort Zumwalt) | St. Charles | 6.3572 | 4.1262 | 1.21% | $3,624 |
| Chesterfield (Parkway) | St. Louis | 6.2193 | 3.1636 | 1.18% | $3,545 |
| St. Charles | St. Charles | 6.2081 | 4.4741 | 1.18% | $3,539 |
| Jefferson City | Cole | 5.9783 | 4.7593 | 1.14% | $3,408 |
| Springfield | Greene | 4.9820 | 3.7036 | 0.95% | $2,840 |
| Joplin | Jasper | 4.6094 | 3.6647 | 0.88% | $2,627 |
In St. Louis County, every home also pays the Special School District (0.8993), the county (0.4060), the Metropolitan Sewer District, St. Louis Community College and the Zoo-Museum District, on top of the local school district. That's why Chesterfield, which levies no city property tax at all, still lands in the middle of the list. Kansas City's total includes about 0.14 for the county health department; without it, it's 8.2442.
Springfield and Joplin have the lowest totals of the big cities, mostly because their school levies are lower.
Senior relief and the 2025 law
- Property Tax Credit (circuit breaker): homeowners 65+ or 100% disabled with income up to $30,000 (single) or $34,000 (married) can get up to $1,100 back through the state income tax return (forms MO-PTC or MO-PTS). Renters can get up to $750.
- Local senior freeze: a 2023 law lets counties freeze property tax for older homeowners. St. Charles, Jackson, Clay, Greene and St. Louis counties have adopted versions. Check with your county collector.
- 2025 homestead credit (SB 3): a 2025 special session created a homestead property tax credit for seniors that limits how much their tax can grow, to 5% a year or inflation in some counties and to zero in others, subject to county approval. A lawsuit challenging the law was filed in 2025. Ask your county whether it applies to you.
Deadlines and appeals
- Payments: taxes are due December 31; they're delinquent from January 1.
- Appeals: to the county Board of Equalization by the second Monday in July, usually after an informal review with the assessor. Reassessment notices go out in odd-numbered years. See our appeal guide.
Where these numbers come from
Levies are from the Missouri State Auditor's 2025 Property Tax Rates review (Report No. 2026-006, January 2026); city totals are our sums of the overlapping levies for each city's main districts. Assessment, payment and appeal rules are from RSMo §§ 137.115, 137.385, 140.010 and 209.130. The Property Tax Credit limits are from the Missouri Department of Revenue, and SB 3 from the Missouri Senate's bill summary. The $300,000 examples are our calculations. For ZIP-level data, start from our Missouri page.