Cleburne County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Cleburne County, Arkansas scores 1.7/10 (Low) on the eviction-risk index, placing it among the more landlord-favorable markets in the state. At rank 60 of 75 Arkansas eviction laws counties, only 15 counties present less risk, meaning the overwhelming majority of the state carries more landlord friction than Cleburne County does. For investors and operators, that translates to a market where rent collection disputes are comparatively rare, tenant-side leverage is limited, and the legal framework generally supports timely resolution when issues do arise.

Across the 9 cities tracked inside the county, individual scores range from 1.1 to 1.9, a spread that matters in practice. The county's 30.4% renter share and an average rent of $835 signal a market that is predominantly owner-occupied, which keeps tenant-pool risk modest. Average rent burden sits at 28.8%, below the threshold where rent stress typically drives elevated default rates. Taken together, these fundamentals point to stable, lower-volatility operating conditions throughout most of the county.

The cities inside Cleburne County

The highest-risk city in the county is Quitman, scoring 1.9/10 with a population of 805. Heber Springs, the county seat and by far the largest city at 7,161 residents, scores 1.8/10, still firmly in the Low tier but worth tracking given its outsized share of the county's rental inventory. Greers Ferry comes in at 1.7/10 with a population of 778. All three sit at or above the county average and represent the concentration points for any landlord operating multiple units.

On the lower-risk end, Higden scores 1.1/10, the most favorable in the county, followed by Tumbling Shoals and Drasco, each at 1.2/10. Concord registers 1.3/10 and Wilburn 1.5/10. The takeaway is that risk is genuinely hyper-local here: a landlord holding units in Heber Springs eviction risk faces a meaningfully different operating profile than one invested in Higden or Tumbling Shoals, even though both sit comfortably in the Low tier statewide.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Cleburne County operate under Ark. Code § 18-17 (Residential Landlord-Tenant Act). Notice requirements are relatively tight in Arkansas eviction laws's favor: nonpayment of rent triggers a 3-day notice, a lease violation with opportunity to cure requires 14 days, and a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. Arkansas eviction laws does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so landlords face no local rent caps anywhere in the county. A full breakdown of the Arkansas eviction laws eviction process, including court procedure and tenant response timelines, is covered in the statewide guides on this site.

Uncontested eviction cases in Arkansas eviction laws typically resolve in 30 to 60 days; contested matters can run 90 to 150 days. Direct costs per case include a court filing fee of $165 to $250, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $120, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. For a full picture of what those components add up to in a realistic scenario, see the Arkansas eviction costs guide. There is no source-of-income protection under Arkansas state law, giving landlords broad screening latitude.

With a poverty rate of 14.6% and roughly 30.4% of residents renting, Cleburne County's risk profile is driven more by a thin rental market than by concentrated economic stress; review the city grid above to identify which of the 9 cities best fits your target tenant profile and return thresholds.