Germantown, Collierville, Olive Branch and Memphis compared on official figures: property tax rates, school grades, home values, income and commute times.
Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Sources: the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury’s 2025 property tax rates, the City of Germantown’s property tax page, the Shelby County Trustee’s tax rate history, the Mississippi Department of Revenue’s combined millage rate schedules (XLSX), the Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 letter grades, the Mississippi Succeeds Report Card, the Zillow Home Value Index and the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey.
Collierville (about five miles east), Olive Branch, Mississippi (about nine miles southwest), and Memphis, which borders Germantown on the west, are the three cities closest to Germantown. This page lines them up on official figures only, one topic at a time, with each figure linked to where it comes from. It does not say which is better; that depends on the household.
What this means for you
- Germantown, Collierville and Memphis share Shelby County’s tax rate; only the city rate differs.
- Olive Branch is in another state, county and school system, with a different way of figuring property tax.
- Check any address in the right city and school district before you buy or rent.
Property taxes
Tennessee assesses a home at 25% of its appraised value and applies each rate per $100 of that assessed value. Mississippi assesses a single-family, owner-occupied home at 10% of its true value, according to the Department of Revenue, and levies in mills (dollars per $1,000 of assessed value). The table uses the latest year each state publishes for all four cities.
| City | City rate | County rate | School levy | City and county tax on a $400,000 home, before relief |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germantown | $1.79 per $100 (2025) | $2.69 (Shelby, 2025) | In the county rate | About $4,480 |
| Collierville | $1.62 per $100 (2025) | $2.69 (Shelby, 2025) | In the county rate | About $4,310 |
| Memphis | $2.58081 per $100 (2025) | $2.69 (Shelby, 2025) | In the county rate | About $5,271 |
| Olive Branch, Miss. | 38.5 mills (2024-2025) | 45.13 mills (DeSoto) | 52.85 mills (DeSoto County Schools) | About $5,459 |
The Tennessee rates are from the Comptroller’s 2025 table, which shows Germantown at $1.79; the city’s own property tax page posts $1.7825. For 2026 bills the Shelby County Trustee lists a county rate of $2.702382, which includes $1.16 for schools (Trustee). The Olive Branch figures are the three lines in the state’s millage file for its latest year. Real bills differ with the appraised value and any relief.
City tax rates in a chart
Who bills you: Germantown, Collierville and Memphis each send their own city tax bill; Shelby County’s comes from the Trustee (901-222-0200).
Relief and exemptions: none of the three Tennessee cities publishes its own homestead exemption. In Shelby County the Trustee runs the state’s Tax Relief and Tax Freeze programs for older, disabled and veteran homeowners; see our property taxes guide. Mississippi has a statewide homestead exemption; DeSoto County’s assessor takes new applications from Jan. 4 to April 1, 2027.
Schools
Each state grades its schools A to F. These are the grades for the 2024-25 school year:
| City | School district | High school | 2024-25 grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germantown | Germantown Municipal School District | Houston High | A |
| Collierville | Collierville Schools | Collierville High | A |
| Olive Branch, Miss. | DeSoto County Schools | Olive Branch High | A |
| Olive Branch, Miss. | DeSoto County Schools | Center Hill High | A |
| Memphis | Memphis-Shelby County Schools | 44 graded high schools | 5 A, 13 B, 9 C, 16 D, 1 F |
Tennessee grades are from the Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 file. The Memphis count covers every Memphis-Shelby County Schools campus in the file that serves high school grades and received a letter, district-run and charter; six more were not eligible for a grade. It includes Germantown High, an A, which sits inside Germantown but is run by Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Mississippi’s grades are from the Mississippi Succeeds Report Card. The two states grade on different measures, so a letter in one is not the same test as in the other. More in our schools guide.
Home values
According to the Zillow Home Value Index (Zillow Research), for each city in September 2026:
| City | Typical value | A year earlier | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collierville | $502,630 | $509,612 | -1.4% |
| Germantown | $480,889 | $486,030 | -1.1% |
| Olive Branch, Miss. | $333,616 | $330,339 | +1.0% |
| Memphis | $151,794 | $156,121 | -2.8% |
The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes in each city, not a sale price.
Home values in a chart
People, income and commute
From the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates:
| City | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germantown | 40,673 | $149,920 | $470,800 | 22.1 minutes |
| Collierville | 51,515 | $138,598 | $485,900 | 25.1 minutes |
| Olive Branch, Miss. | 47,019 | $100,606 | $290,000 | 24.5 minutes |
| Memphis | 618,980 | $51,736 | $169,000 | 21.1 minutes |
The Census median home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, so it differs from Zillow’s figure.
City services
| Service | Germantown | Collierville | Olive Branch, Miss. | Memphis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trash pickup | Waste Pro, under city contract; $51.85 a month curbside | Town crews, weekly; $32 a month from July 1, 2026 | Waste Connections, under city contract; $10 a month a cart | City Solid Waste Management |
| Police | Germantown Police Department | Collierville Police Department | Olive Branch Police Department | Memphis Police Department |
| Fire | Germantown Fire Department | Collierville Fire Department | Olive Branch Fire Department | Memphis Fire Department |
Sources: Germantown’s trash and recycling page, Collierville’s curbside sanitation page and FY27 budget announcement, Olive Branch’s garbage page, police department and fire department, and Memphis’s Solid Waste Management page, which says the division collects all solid waste within the city.
How to check an address
- Which city a parcel is in, and its value: the Shelby County Assessor of Property (901-222-7001) for Germantown, Collierville and Memphis; the DeSoto County tax assessor’s appraisal data for Olive Branch.
- School zone: Germantown Municipal School District’s zone locator, Collierville Schools’ zone locator, Memphis-Shelby County Schools or DeSoto County Schools.
- Tax estimate: the Shelby County Trustee’s tax calculator or DeSoto County’s tax calculator page.
Inside Germantown? See our neighborhoods guide and home prices.
Frequently asked questions
Are property taxes higher in Germantown or Collierville?
Germantown’s city rate is higher: $1.79 per $100 of assessed value against Collierville’s $1.62 for tax year 2025, on the state Comptroller’s table. Both also pay Shelby County’s rate, $2.69 in 2025, and homes are assessed at 25% of appraised value.
How do Memphis property taxes compare with Germantown?
Memphis’s 2025 city rate was $2.58081 per $100 of assessed value, against Germantown’s $1.79. On a $400,000 home before relief, the city and county taxes together come to about $5,271 in Memphis and $4,480 in Germantown.
Is Germantown more expensive than Collierville?
On Zillow’s Home Value Index for September 2026, the typical home was $502,630 in Collierville and $480,889 in Germantown. In Olive Branch, Mississippi, it was $333,616 and in Memphis $151,794.
Which high schools serve Germantown, Collierville, Olive Branch and Memphis?
Houston High (A) for Germantown’s district, Collierville High (A), and Olive Branch High and Center Hill High (both A) in DeSoto County Schools. Memphis-Shelby County Schools had 44 graded high schools in 2024-25: 5 A, 13 B, 9 C, 16 D and 1 F.
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