Arkansas Property Tax Calculator

Arkansas Property Taxes

In the state of Arkansas, residential property is taxed at the state, county, city and school district level. Taxes are based off the property’s appraised value, or market value.

Property taxes in Arkansas are lower than in most of the rest of the country. The majority of the state's counties have median annual property tax payments below $800. The statewide average effective property tax rate is 0.57%.

Not having to worry about the difference in property taxes from county to county can help relieve some of the stress that comes with purchasing a home. Our Arkansas mortgage guide can also help you feel a little better about the home buying process by breaking down information about mortgage rates and other details in the Natural State.

A financial advisor can help you understand how homeownership fits into your overall financial goals. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

How Property Taxes Work in Arkansas

Property in Arkansas is regularly appraised by professional appraisers that are designated by the state. The appraised value is equal to the market value, which is the price of the house if it was to be sold on the open market. Tax rates, however, do not apply to appraised value, but rather to assessed value.

Assessed value is equal to 20% of the appraised value of a property. For example, a home that has a market value of $100,000 would have an assessed value of $20,000. So tax rates only apply to that $20,000.

One important note about assessed value in Arkansas is that it cannot increase by more than 5% in any one year. So even if the market value doubles, the assessed value can only increase by 5%.

Property Tax Rates in Arkansas

Tax rates in Arkansas are applied in terms of mills. A mill is equal to 1/1,000, or one tenth of a percent. So if your tax rate is 30 mills and your assessed value is $20,000, your property tax bill would be $600. That’s $20,000 x (30/1,000). The millage rates in Arkansas vary by county, city and school district.

Another way of looking at property taxes is the average effective rate. This refers to the average annual property tax payment divided by the average property value. The table below shows average effective property tax rates, as well as median property tax payments and home values, for every county in Arkansas.

Want to learn more about your mortgage payments? Check out our mortgage calculator.

Pulaski County

Pulaski County, the most populous county in Arkansas, also has the highest property taxes in the state. The average homeowner in Pulaski County pays $1,388 per year in property taxes, which works out to an effective property tax rate of 0.86%. That's the highest in Arkansas, but it's still below the 0.99% national average.

The average millage rate in Pulaski County is 58.75. Across the county, millage rates range from 7.45 mills.

Benton County

Benton County, in the northwest corner of the state, encompasses the cities of Bentonville, Rogers and parts of Springdale. The average millage rate in Benton County is 55.80 mills. Rates are highest in the Pea Ridge school district. Typically, homeowners in Benton County pay $1,388 in property taxes every year. That's the highest median annual payment in the state.

Washington County

The median home value in Washington County is just under $184,300 and the typical homeowner pays $1,344 in property taxes annually. That’s good for an effective property tax rate of 0.73%.

Actual rates (which apply to assessed value) range from 52.45 mills in rural Greenland School District to reduced mills in parts of Fayetteville School District that overlap with the cities of Elkins, Farmington and Johnson.

If you have questions about how property taxes can affect your overall financial plans, a financial advisor in Fayetteville can help you out.

Sebastian County

Sebastian County sits on the Arkansas River, along the state border with Oklahoma. Median property tax payments in the county are just $1,013 per year. You can find the highest rates in Sebastian county in the city of Fort Smith in the Fort Smith School District. The rate there is 52.13 mills.

Faulkner County

Faulkner County is one of the most populous counties in Arkansas, but its average effective property tax rate of 0.67% doesn't rank quite as high. The vast majority of property taxes in the county go to support local schools.

Saline County

Saline County sits between Little Rock and Hot Springs in Central Arkansas. Rates in the county depend on the city and the school district in which your house is located. The county’s average effective property tax rate is 0.75%.

Craighead County

The typical homeowner in Craighead County pays $1,044 annually in property taxes. The countywide property tax rate averages 0.70%. Total school district rates average 38.72 mills. In total, the highest millage rate in the county is in the City of Jonesboro in the Valley View School District. The total property tax millage rate there is 47.67 mills.

Garland County

The average effective property tax rate in Garland County is 0.61%. That's around half the national average. So if your home’s market value is $100,330, you can expect to pay about $866 annually in property taxes.

White County

Property taxes in White County are significantly lower than in most of the country. The typical homeowner here pays just $585 a year in residential property taxes at an average property tax rate of just 0.47%.

Jefferson County

Jefferson County, which is named after President Thomas Jefferson, has a property tax rate of 0.91%, just above the state average. The average annual property tax payment in the county is just $769.