Shoshone County, Idaho Eviction Risk: Very Low

Shoshone County sits in the Silver Valley of northern Idaho, a former mining corridor of about 9,565 residents spread across 8 incorporated communities. The county carries a 2.1/10 eviction risk score - rated Low - and ranks 14th out of 44 Idaho counties, placing it in the higher-risk third of the state. That ranking reflects relative positioning within Idaho, not a warning flag for landlords: 30 counties score lower risk, but the spread between Shoshone and Idaho's most landlord-friendly counties is narrow in absolute terms.

The local rental market is modest. Average rent runs $943 per month, and renters make up 29.7% of occupied housing units - a below-average ownership rate that reflects the county's working-class history and the relative affordability of homeownership here compared to larger Idaho metros. The average rent burden sits at 28.1% of income, which is within the conventional affordability threshold of 30%, though a 16.1% poverty rate means a meaningful share of tenants carry little financial cushion when disputes arise. Kellogg, the county seat and largest city with a population of 2,307, posts the highest local risk score at 2.5/10; Smelterville follows at 2.4/10. At the other end, Silverton scores 1.7/10 - the lowest in the county - and smaller towns including Pinehurst (1.9/10), Mullan (1.9/10), and Wardner (1.9/10) cluster near that floor.

Idaho's eviction framework under Idaho Code § 6-301 et seq. (Forcible Entry and Detainer) is among the most landlord-favorable in the western United States. Non-payment and lease-violation notices require only 3 days before a landlord may file in court; no-cause terminations at the end of a lease term require 30 days notice. There is no just-cause requirement for evictions, no local rent control (state law preempts any municipal attempt), and source-of-income is not a protected class under Idaho fair housing law. Court filing fees run $160 to $260, and an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days. Contested proceedings extend to 45 to 120 days, with attorney costs ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Sheriff lockout fees are $30 to $120. Landlords in Shoshone County operate under this straightforward statutory regime with no local overlays to track.

Shoshone County's Low risk score reflects Idaho eviction laws's tenant-light legal environment combined with a small, stable rental population; the elevated poverty rate is the primary factor keeping this county in the higher-risk third of the state rather than the bottom half.