A home in Mobile pays 63.5 mills of property tax, Prichard 61.5, Chickasaw 56.5 and Semmes 48.5. Schools, home values and commutes compared.
Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the Alabama Department of Revenue’s 2025 millage rates; the Mobile County Revenue Commission; the Alabama State Department of Education’s 2024-25 State Accountability Letter Grades; Zillow Research; the Census Bureau’s QuickFacts and 2020-2024 American Community Survey; and the four cities’ websites.
Mobile’s three nearest neighbors that are cities are Chickasaw, about 7 miles north, Prichard, about 8 miles north, and Semmes, about 12 miles northwest. Tillmans Corner, which is closer, is not a city; it is governed by Mobile County. All four cities are in Mobile County, so they share the same state and county property tax levies and the same county Revenue Commission. What differs is the city levy, the school district levy, the school system and who picks up the trash. Every figure below is official and linked; the table for each topic uses one year or month for all four.
Part of our Mobile neighborhoods guide.
Property taxes
From the Alabama Department of Revenue’s 2025 millage list for Mobile County (October 2025), in mills. A mill is $1 for each $1,000 of assessed value.
| Levy, tax year 2025 | Mobile | Chickasaw | Prichard | Semmes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Mobile County | 20.5 | 20.5 | 20.5 | 20.5 |
| Schools (14 countywide plus district) | 29.5 | 24.5 | 29.5 | 21.5 |
| City | 7.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | None listed |
| Total | 63.5 | 56.5 | 61.5 | 48.5 |
No Semmes levy appears among the municipal rates on the state list, and Semmes homes pay the county’s “all other” school rate. An owner-occupied home is assessed at 10% of its appraised value, according to the Department of Revenue. For a home appraised at $200,000, that is $20,000 of assessed value, and the bill before any exemption works out to $1,270 in Mobile, $1,130 in Chickasaw, $1,230 in Prichard and $970 in Semmes.
Homestead exemption. All four cities’ homeowners apply with the Mobile County Revenue Commission. The standard exemption takes up to $4,000 of assessed value off state taxes and up to $2,000 off county taxes, according to its homestead page. Taxes are due Oct. 1 and delinquent after Dec. 31. More in our property taxes guide.
Property tax chart
Schools
Mobile, Prichard and Semmes are in Mobile County Public Schools, which earned a B (83) on the state’s 2024-25 report card. Chickasaw runs its own system, Chickasaw City Schools, which earned a D (69), according to the state’s 2024-25 letter grades. The table lists the high schools located in each city or carrying its address, with their 2024-25 scores. Which school a home is zoned for depends on the address, not the city.
| City | School system | High school | 2024-25 score (grade) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile | Mobile County Public Schools | Ben C. Rain High | 75 (C) |
| Mobile | Mobile County Public Schools | W.P. Davidson High | 74 (C) |
| Mobile | Mobile County Public Schools | Murphy High | 72 (C) |
| Mobile | Mobile County Public Schools | John L. LeFlore Magnet High | 67 (D) |
| Mobile | Mobile County Public Schools | Lillie B. Williamson High (6-12) | 67 (D) |
| Chickasaw | Chickasaw City Schools | Chickasaw City High | 61 (D) |
| Prichard | Mobile County Public Schools | C.F. Vigor High | 68 (D) |
| Semmes | Mobile County Public Schools | Mary G. Montgomery High | 80 (B) |
Many Mobile addresses, especially in the west, are zoned for high schools outside city limits, such as Baker, Mattie T. Blount or Montgomery; see each area’s page in our neighborhoods guide and our schools guide.
Home values
From the Zillow Home Value Index by city, a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price:
| City | September 2026 | September 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile | $196,696 | $197,413 | -0.4% |
| Chickasaw | $110,350 | $106,246 | +3.9% |
| Prichard | $55,661 | $54,863 | +1.5% |
| Semmes | $238,964 | $239,661 | -0.3% |
More in our home prices guide.
Home value chart
Population, income and commute
From the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates (tables B01003, B19013, B25077 and S0801), the same vintage for all four; see each city on QuickFacts:
| Mobile | Chickasaw | Prichard | Semmes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 203,416 | 6,332 | 18,961 | 5,626 |
| Median household income | $53,558 | $46,559 | $36,588 | $66,417 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $193,300 | $117,500 | $85,700 | $215,600 |
| Mean travel time to work | 22.8 minutes | 21.7 minutes | 24.5 minutes | 23.9 minutes |
The Census median value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, so it differs from Zillow’s index.
City services
Who provides the main services, from each city’s own website:
| Service | Mobile | Chickasaw | Prichard | Semmes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police | Mobile Police Department | Chickasaw Police Department | Prichard Police Department | Semmes Police Department |
| Fire | Mobile Fire-Rescue Department | Chickasaw Fire Department, 70 Lee St. | Prichard Fire Department | City of Semmes Fire and Rescue |
| Garbage | City crews, brown cart weekly (details) | Contract with A1 McDuffie Sanitation, twice a week (Public Works) | City Garbage Department, one cart per home (notice) | City picks up residential debris twice a month (details) |
| School system | Mobile County Public Schools | Chickasaw City Schools | Mobile County Public Schools | Mobile County Public Schools |
How to check an address
- Which city a parcel is in: look it up in the Mobile County Revenue Commission’s property search or its parcel map; the tax district on the record sets the millage. Inside Mobile, the city’s My Place tool also shows whether an address is in the city.
- Which schools it is zoned for: use the Mobile County Public Schools school search; Chickasaw City Schools serves addresses inside Chickasaw.
- What the tax bill will be: multiply the appraised value by 10% for a home, then by the total millage above divided by 1,000, then subtract any exemptions on the account. The Revenue Commission, 251-574-8530, can confirm a figure.
Frequently asked questions
Which has lower property taxes, Mobile or Semmes?
Semmes. For tax year 2025 a home in Semmes paid 48.5 mills in total and a home in Mobile 63.5, according to the Alabama Department of Revenue. The difference is the city levy (Mobile 7 mills, Semmes none on the state list) and the school district levy.
Are Chickasaw, Prichard and Semmes in the Mobile County school system?
Prichard and Semmes are, like Mobile. Chickasaw runs its own system, Chickasaw City Schools, which earned a D (69) on Alabama’s 2024-25 report card; Mobile County Public Schools earned a B (83).
What is the typical home value in Semmes compared with Mobile?
$238,964 in Semmes and $196,696 in Mobile in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. Chickasaw was $110,350 and Prichard $55,661.
How long is the commute from Mobile, Chickasaw, Prichard and Semmes?
The mean travel time to work was 22.8 minutes in Mobile, 21.7 in Chickasaw, 24.5 in Prichard and 23.9 in Semmes, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey.
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