Clark County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Clark County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.4/10, rated Low on the national scale, but that label requires a careful read for anyone placing capital here. Arkansas ranks Clark County 2nd out of 75 counties statewide, meaning only one county in the entire state scores higher on the risk index. That puts Clark County squarely in the higher-risk tier of Arkansas markets, and landlords should weigh the county average against the structural conditions underneath it: a 26.4% average poverty rate and a renter share of 52.2% of households, both of which apply pressure on tenant payment consistency across the county.

Across the 10 cities tracked inside Clark County, individual scores run from 1.7 to 2.8. The average monthly rent sits at $787, and rent burden averages 31.1% of renter income, a figure that leaves many tenants with thin financial cushion when expenses shift. For investors evaluating yield against default exposure, the combination of high renter concentration and above-average poverty warrants careful due diligence on the specific submarket.

The cities inside Clark County

Arkadelphia anchors the county both in population and in risk. With 10,099 residents, it is the dominant market in Clark County and also carries the county-high score of 2.8/10. Gum Springs ties it at 2.7/10, though its population of 55 makes it a negligible rental market in volume terms. Gurdon, with 1,625 residents, scores 2.6/10 and represents the second most active rental submarket in the county. Caddo Valley and Antoine also score 2.2/10, while Amity comes in at 2.5/10.

At the lower end, Okolona scores 2.7/10, the most landlord-favorable reading in the county, and Alpine comes in at 1.7/10. The spread from 1.9 to 2.8 across these cities underscores that risk is hyper-local: a landlord operating in Okolona faces meaningfully different conditions than one with units in Arkadelphia eviction risk, even within the same county boundaries.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Clark County operates under the Arkansas Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (Ark. Code Section 18-17). For non-payment of rent, the required notice period is 3 days. Lease violations that allow a cure trigger a 14-day notice, and terminating a tenancy at the end of its term with no stated cause requires 30 days. Once filed, an uncontested eviction typically resolves in 30 to 60 days; a contested case can extend to 90 to 150 days. Court filing fees range from $165 to $250, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $120, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. A full breakdown is available in the Arkansas eviction costs guide. Arkansas state law does not require just cause for non-renewal, imposes no rent cap, and the state explicitly preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no municipality in Clark County can impose rent limits. Landlords researching the full procedural sequence should consult the Arkansas eviction process guide for step-by-step detail. Arkansas security deposit limits and Arkansas tenant protections are also defined at the state level, with no local overlays permitted.

With 52.2% of Clark County households renting and a poverty rate of 26.4%, the tenant pool here carries above-average financial stress, a factor that elevates default risk relative to the county's nominally Low composite score. The city-level grid above breaks down exactly where that risk concentrates and where it eases.