Little River County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Low

Little River County scores 1.8/10 (Low risk) across its 8 incorporated cities, placing it 47th out of 75 Arkansas eviction laws counties by eviction risk. That ranking means 46 counties are riskier for landlords than Little River County, and only 28 are more landlord-friendly, putting the county squarely in the middle third of the state. With average rent at $720 per month and a renter share of 25.5%, the rental market here is thin but stable, presenting limited demand alongside limited volatility.

The intra-county score range runs from 1.5/10 to 1.9/10, a narrow 0.4-point spread that signals relatively consistent operating conditions across the county. Landlords who maintain properties in good condition and screen tenants carefully should face a legal environment that is workable under Arkansas law, though the high poverty rate (discussed below) deserves attention in underwriting any deal here.

The cities inside Little River County

At the top of the risk range, Ashdown (population 4,164, score 1.9/10) and Foreman (population 1,044, score 1.9/10) are the county seats most landlords will actually lease in. Both sit at the county maximum, but a 1.9 remains solidly in the Low tier statewide. Wilton and Ogden each score 1.8/10, matching the county average, while Winthrop comes in at 1.7/10.

The lowest-risk communities, Ben Lomond and Alleene, both score 1.5/10, the county floor. Yarborough Landing lands at 1.6/10. Even the gap between the top and bottom of the county is small enough that city selection is unlikely to be the deciding factor for most investors, though hyper-local fundamentals, vacancy, and tenant pool depth still vary meaningfully between Ashdown and the county's smaller communities.

State-level laws that apply here

Under the Arkansas eviction process governed by Ark. Code SS 18-17 (Residential Landlord-Tenant Act), landlords must serve a 3-day notice for nonpayment of rent, a 14-day notice to cure a lease violation, and a 30-day notice for end-of-term or no-cause terminations. Once filed, an uncontested case typically resolves in 30 to 60 days; a contested case can run 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, so a contested eviction can easily clear $2,800 in direct costs at the high end.

Arkansas eviction laws state law requires no just cause to terminate a tenancy, and the state preempts local rent control, so no municipality in Little River County can impose rent caps or stricter just-cause rules than state law allows. Those two features meaningfully reduce regulatory risk for buy-and-hold landlords. For a full breakdown of Arkansas security deposit limits and other tenant-side protections, reviewing the Arkansas eviction costs and Arkansas tenant protections guides will give landlords the complete picture before signing leases here.

A poverty rate of 24.3% across the county is the most significant underwriting flag here; it elevates the probability of nonpayment even in a low-risk legal environment, so tenant screening and cash reserves matter more than the score alone might suggest. The city-by-city grid above breaks out individual scores for all 8 cities in the county.