Boone County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Boone County, Arkansas scores 2.4/10 on the eviction-risk index, a Low rating that places it among the more landlord-friendly markets in the state. At rank 56 of 75 Arkansas counties, 55 counties carry higher risk scores, and only 19 are less risky, putting Boone County comfortably in the lower-risk third of the state. Across all 13 cities tracked here, scores range from 1.9 to 2.7, a relatively tight band that signals broadly stable operating conditions rather than sharp neighborhood-to-neighborhood volatility.

For landlords and investors, the practical picture is a small rural market with average rents around $749, a rent-burden rate of 29.9%, and roughly 41% of residents renting. That renter share is meaningful for deal flow, but a poverty rate of 17.1% warrants careful tenant screening, since income instability is the upstream driver of most eviction filings anywhere in the country.

The cities inside Boone County

Harrison anchors the county with a population of 13,350 and a risk score of 1.8/10, the highest in Boone County. Western Grove and Lead Hill also score 2.7/10, and Omaha ties that mark as well. These four communities sit at the top of the county's risk range, though a 1.8 is still firmly in the Low tier by any statewide comparison. Alpena scores 2.2/10, Lead Hill and Batavia each come in at 2.7/10, and Bergman sits at 2/10.

The lowest-risk city in the county is Diamond City at 2.4/10, a notably quieter reading that reflects a small population of 672 and, by extension, a thinner rental market. That spread, 1.1 in Diamond City to 1.8 in Harrison and a handful of smaller towns, illustrates why risk analysis has to be hyper-local even in a county this size. A portfolio concentrated in Harrison looks materially different from one spread across smaller outlying communities.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Boone County operate under Ark. Code § 18-17 (Residential Landlord-Tenant Act). For non-payment of rent, Arkansas requires a 3-day notice to quit. A lease violation that can be cured carries a 14-day notice, and a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. Understanding the Arkansas eviction process is critical before placing tenants, because an uncontested case still takes 30 to 60 days from filing to possession, while a contested case can stretch to 90 to 150 days. Court filing fees run $165 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $120, and attorney fees, if counsel is retained, typically range from $500 to $2,500. Arkansas eviction costs, taken together across those components, can easily reach several hundred to a few thousand dollars per proceeding depending on whether the tenant contests.

On the regulatory side, Arkansas does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no municipality in Boone County can impose rent caps. Source-of-income is not a protected class under Arkansas state law. Those conditions, combined with the short notice timelines, make Arkansas one of the more straightforward states for landlord operations from a statutory standpoint.

With a poverty rate of 17.1% and 41% of residents renting, Boone County warrants attention to income verification at lease-up, but the city-by-city grid above shows that most communities here carry risk scores well below the Arkansas eviction laws average, giving investors a clearer starting point for comparing specific submarkets.