Monroe County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Low

Monroe County scores 2.6/10 (Low) across its 5 incorporated cities, placing it among the higher-risk tier in Arkansas, ranked 6th out of 75 counties statewide. That means only 5 Arkansas eviction laws counties carry more landlord risk, while 69 are less risky or more landlord-friendly. For investors weighing this small Delta market, a county average of 2.6 does not mean uniformly easy conditions: the spread runs from 2 to 2.9, a range wide enough that city selection inside Monroe County matters as much as the county label itself. With an average rent of $598 and a rent-burden rate of 27.5%, many tenants are close to the edge financially, which has direct bearing on payment consistency and turnover risk.

The county's total population sits at roughly 5,051, and about 38.3% of residents are renters. That renter share is meaningful context: a market with this proportion of renters tends to produce steady rental demand even if individual city-level vacancies fluctuate. The poverty rate of 27% is elevated, however, and landlords operating here should factor that into tenant screening and lease structure from the outset.

The cities inside Monroe County

Clarendon is the county's highest-risk city at 2.9/10, with a population of 1,820, making it the second-largest city in the county. Holly Grove follows at 2.8/10 with a population of 495. These two cities account for most of the elevated-risk concentration inside Monroe County, and landlords targeting either market should have a clear-eyed view of local payment conditions before acquiring rental units. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: Clarendon's score of 2.9 is nearly 50% higher than Roe's score of 2.0, and those two cities sit in the same county.

Brinkley, the county's largest city at 2,596 residents, scores 2.3/10, which is more manageable. The city of Monroe (population 11) also scores 2.3/10. Roe, with a population of 129, is the lowest-risk city in the county at 2/10. Investors who can pinpoint the right submarket within Monroe County will find a material difference in their operating environment compared to county averages alone.

State-level laws that apply here

Under Ark. Code § 18-17 (Residential Landlord-Tenant Act), Arkansas eviction laws landlords must serve a 3-day notice for non-payment of rent, a 14-day notice for a lease violation with opportunity to cure, and a 30-day notice to end a tenancy without cause. No just-cause requirement exists for eviction, and the state expressly preempts local rent control, so no municipality in Arkansas eviction laws can impose rent caps or additional eviction hurdles beyond state law. Understanding the Arkansas eviction laws eviction process is straightforward by most standards: uncontested cases typically resolve in 30 to 60 days, though contested matters can extend to 90 to 150 days.

When a case does go to court, the full cost adds up quickly. Court filing fees run $165 to $250, sheriff lockout fees run $40 to $120, and attorney fees range from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Landlords unfamiliar with Arkansas eviction costs should budget for the higher end if tenant cooperation is uncertain. Arkansas security deposit limits and Arkansas tenant protections are defined at the state level, and local ordinances cannot exceed those state standards under current preemption law.

With a county poverty rate of 27% and a renter share of 38.3%, financial stress among tenants is a real operating variable in Monroe County; review the city grid above to identify which specific cities fall closest to or furthest from your own risk tolerance before committing to a purchase.