Greene County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Low

Greene County scores an average of 2.6/10 on the eviction-risk scale, placing it in the Low risk tier and landing at rank 34 of 75 Arkansas eviction laws counties, meaning 33 counties carry more risk for landlords and 41 are more landlord-friendly. For investors and property owners, that middle-of-the-pack positioning translates to a county where the fundamentals are generally manageable: an average rent of $908, a rent-burden rate of 29.6%, and a renter share of 41.9% of households. Those figures suggest demand is steady without the tenant financial stress that tends to drive eviction filings upward.

The intra-county spread runs from 1.3/10 to 2.6/10, a narrow band that reflects relatively consistent conditions across the county's 8 cities. Even the highest-scoring cities sit well inside the Low tier, so Greene County as a whole presents a stable operating environment by Arkansas standards. The 17.2% poverty rate is worth monitoring, however, as pockets of financial strain can concentrate risk in specific submarkets even when the county average looks benign.

The cities inside Greene County

Paragould, with a population of 30,215 and a score of 2.6/10, dominates the county's rental market and anchors the higher end of local risk. Marmaduke (population 1,240) also scores 2.2/10, the same ceiling as Paragould eviction risk, which makes both cities the places in the county where landlords should run the tightest tenant screening and lease documentation. Oak Grove Heights and Lafe each score 1.9/10, a modest step down from the county average but still solidly low-risk.

At the other end of the spectrum, Walcott and Delaplaine each score 2.2/10, the county floor. O'Kean and Peach Orchard come in at 2/10. The point is that even within a low-risk county, a full half-point gap separates the least and most challenged markets, so due diligence at the city level remains worthwhile before committing capital.

State-level laws that apply here

Under Ark. Code § 18-17 (Residential Landlord-Tenant Act), Arkansas gives landlords a relatively efficient statutory framework. For non-payment of rent, the required notice period is just 3 days. Lease violations carry a 14-day cure notice, and month-to-month or end-of-term terminations require 30 days notice. Once a case is filed, uncontested proceedings typically resolve in 30 to 60 days; contested cases extend to 90 to 150 days. Understanding the full Arkansas eviction process before the first lease is signed is the best way to avoid procedural delays that stretch those timelines.

On the cost side, Arkansas eviction costs typically include court filing fees of $165 to $250, sheriff lockout fees of $40 to $120, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Arkansas requires no just cause to terminate a tenancy and, critically, state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so there is no patchwork of city-level caps to track across the county. For a full breakdown of Arkansas security deposit limits and related landlord obligations, consult the statewide guides before drafting leases.

With a poverty rate of 17.2% and renters making up 41.9% of households, Greene County's low average risk score reflects manageable conditions, but the city-level grid above shows where within the county that risk concentrates.