Searcy County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Searcy County, Arkansas eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 1.6/10 (Low), placing it at rank 68 of 75 Arkansas counties, meaning only 7 counties statewide are less risky for landlords. The county's 6 tracked cities span a narrow band from 1 to 1.7, so while variation exists, even the highest-scoring communities sit well within the low-risk tier. For investors and operators, these figures translate to a market where court-enforced removals are relatively uncommon and the tenant base tends to produce stable, if modest, rental income.

Context matters alongside the risk scores. Average rent across Searcy County is $493 per month, and the average rent burden sits at 28.3% of income, which is below the threshold most researchers flag as financially stressful. That said, a 33.1% average poverty rate across the county warrants conservative underwriting, since economic shocks can quickly push even a well-managed tenant into arrears.

The cities inside Searcy County

The county seat, Marshall (population 1,196), and Leslie (population 444) are the county's two most populous communities and both score at the ceiling of the local range, 1.7/10. That score still ranks as Low risk in the statewide context, but investors in either town should be prepared for the same notice timelines and court procedures that apply countywide. Together, Marshall and Leslie account for the large majority of the county's 2,067 tracked residents, so deal flow and available rental stock concentrate here.

Smaller communities tell a different story. Pindall and St. Joe each score 1.1/10, while Witts Springs and Gilbert both score 1/10, the lowest point in the county range. Vacancy and liquidity in those villages are limited by sheer population size, but landlords with existing holdings in those areas face a genuinely quiet risk environment. The contrast between Marshall's 1.7 and Gilbert's 1 illustrates that eviction risk is hyper-local, even within a small, rural county like this one.

State-level laws that apply here

All residential tenancies in Searcy County are governed by the Arkansas eviction laws Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, Ark. Code § 18-17. For non-payment of rent, the required written notice is 3 days. Lease violations requiring a chance to cure carry a 14-day notice, and terminations for end of term or without cause require 30 days. Once notice lapses and a filing is made, an uncontested case typically resolves in 30 to 60 days; a contested case can extend to 90 to 150 days. Reviewing the full Arkansas eviction laws eviction process before acquiring here will prevent timeline surprises.

Arkansas eviction laws does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy and preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Searcy County landlords operate under a statewide framework with no local overrides to track. On the cost side, court filing fees run $165 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $120, and attorney fees, when retained, typically range from $500 to $2,500. Landlords should budget those components individually rather than assuming a fixed all-in number. A thorough look at Arkansas eviction costs during due diligence will anchor realistic underwriting.

With an average renter share of 43.9% of households across Searcy County and a poverty rate of 33.1%, the tenant pool is real but economically stretched; the city-by-city scores in the grid above show where that exposure is most and least concentrated.