Missouri Sales Tax — 4.225%

Missouri's state rate of 4.225% is among the lowest in the country. Its local rates average 4.22%, almost exactly matching the state portion and producing an 8.44% combined average.

Missouri permits cities, counties, and a range of special districts — fire, ambulance, transportation development, community improvement — to levy their own. Those stack, and in parts of the St. Louis and Kansas City metros the combined rate exceeds 10%, which is a long way from the state figure.

Missouri taxes groceries at a reduced state rate of 1.225% rather than the full 4.225%, though local rates still apply in full on top.

That partial exemption is more generous than Tennessee's approach and less generous than the full exemption most states offer. For a household, it means food carries roughly the local rate plus a small state increment — worth knowing when comparing Missouri's headline figure with a state that exempts groceries outright.

The Missouri state rate of 4.225% applies to most retail sales of tangible goods. Counties, cities and special districts add their own rates on top, and because those are set locally the total varies within the state. The 8.44% figure quoted here is a population-weighted average — the rate at your own address may be meaningfully higher or lower.

Ranked 12 of 50 by average combined rate, Missouri sits above the national population-weighted average of 7.53% by 0.91 percentage points. Missouri also levies income tax, so sales tax is one part of the picture rather than the whole of it.

What gets taxed matters as much as the rate. States differ considerably on groceries, prescription drugs, clothing and services, and those exemptions can affect a household's real burden more than a percentage point on the headline rate. Check your state revenue department for the current exemption list before relying on any calculation for a business filing.