Taxes in St. Louis
Missouri levies a real, flat 4.0% state income tax (2026) -- comparatively low relative to many graduated-bracket states -- and City of St. Louis residents specifically pay a real, additional 1% city earnings tax on top of it, for a combined resident rate of approximately 5.0% this record states plainly rather than letting the state's flat rate alone tell the story.
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Learn moreMissouri's Flat 4.0% State Income Tax Is Comparatively Low and Simple
Missouri's state income tax became a real, flat 4.0% rate as of January 1, 2026 (down from a graduated top rate of 4.7%), with a real statutory mechanism for further phase-down toward 3.7% over roughly a decade if net general-revenue growth triggers are met. Notably, Missouri voters REJECTED a full income-tax-elimination ballot measure (Amendment 5) in August 2026 by a wide 83% margin -- a real, dated political fact this record discloses honestly rather than implying Missouri is on a path to zero income tax.
St. Louis's Own City Earnings Tax Adds a Real, Additional Layer
On top of the state's flat rate, the City of St. Louis levies its own real, distinctive 1% earnings tax (Prop E), applying to both city residents AND non-resident commuters who work within city limits. This produces a combined resident rate of approximately 5.0% for City of St. Louis residents -- a real, meaningful cost this record does not let Missouri's flat state rate alone obscure. St. Louis voters renewed this tax for another five years in an April 2026 vote, and it makes up approximately 36% of the city's general-fund revenue (78% from individuals, 22% from businesses).
Property Tax: A Real City-vs-County Distinction, Not a Low- or High-Tax Outlier
As detailed in full on the property-taxes topic page, the City of St. Louis's own effective property tax rate runs approximately 1.05%, while adjacent, separately-governed St. Louis County runs meaningfully higher at approximately 1.20% -- both genuinely close to Missouri's statewide average (approximately 0.88%-0.97%), neither a low- nor high-tax outlier, but a real, relocation-relevant city-vs-county difference.
St. Louis's Sales Tax Runs Meaningfully Above Missouri's Statewide Base Rate
Missouri's statewide sales tax base rate is 4.225%, but St. Louis's own local add-on brings the combined citywide rate to approximately 9.679%, with a real range up to approximately 10.013% depending on the specific special-taxing-district overlay across the city's 76 distinct tax jurisdictions.
Property Taxes and Insurance: Pointers to Full Detail
St. Louis-area property tax mechanics (the city-vs-county distinction and ZIP-level variation) are covered in full on the property-taxes topic page rather than repeated here, while Missouri's homeowners-insurance cost picture is covered on the homeowners-insurance topic page.
Key takeaways
- Missouri's flat 4.0% state income tax (2026) is comparatively low and simple -- and voters notably rejected a full income-tax-elimination measure (Amendment 5) by an 83% margin in August 2026.
- City of St. Louis residents specifically pay a real, additional 1% city earnings tax on top of the state rate -- combined resident rate approximately 5.0%, renewed by voters for five more years in April 2026.
- Property tax runs genuinely close to Missouri's statewide average in both the city (~1.05%) and St. Louis County (~1.20%) -- a real city-vs-county distinction rather than either being a statewide low- or high-tax outlier.
- St. Louis's combined sales tax rate runs approximately 9.679%-10.013% depending on the specific address's taxing-district overlay -- meaningfully above Missouri's 4.225% statewide base rate.
- St. Louis-area property tax mechanics and Missouri's homeowners-insurance cost picture are covered in full on their own dedicated topic pages.
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