Clark County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Low

Clark County, Illinois eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.9/10 (Low) across its 5 tracked cities, placing it at rank 89 of 102 Illinois counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk county in the state. That position means 88 Illinois counties are riskier for landlords than Clark County, and only 13 are less risky, putting the county firmly in the lower-risk third of the state. For an investor sizing up a small rural market with a total population around 8,021 and an average rent of $771, that translates to a relatively stable operating environment where eviction pressure is well below the statewide norm.

Conditions inside the county are tight-banded but not uniform. Scores range from 2.7 to 3/10, a spread that is narrow in absolute terms yet meaningful when one end of the range sits at the county average and the other nudges above it. With roughly 27.5% of residents renting and an average rent-burden rate of 28.9%, the tenant pool is not unusually stretched by Illinois standards, which tends to dampen eviction frequency. That said, landlords should still underwrite individual submarkets rather than treating the county as a single risk block.

The cities inside Clark County

The highest-risk locations in the county are Martinsville (population 1,187, score 3/10) and Westfield (population 415, score 3/10). Both sit at the top of the county range, meaning investors acquiring rental units in either community face marginally more eviction-related exposure than the county average, even if the risk remains low in absolute terms. Marshall, the county seat and its largest city at 4,040 residents, scores 2.9/10, essentially matching the county average and offering the county's deepest rental pool alongside a risk profile in line with countywide expectations.

On the friendlier end, Casey (population 2,239) scores 2.7/10, the lowest in the county, and West Union (population 140) scores 2.8/10. Those two communities represent the most landlord-favorable conditions Clark County offers. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: a landlord comparing Casey to Martinsville is looking at a 0.3-point gap that can reflect meaningful differences in tenant stability, local economic conditions, and eviction filing rates. City-level data above the county summary is the right place to start any underwriting conversation.

State-level laws that apply here

Illinois state law governs eviction procedure for every landlord in Clark County under 735 ILCS 5/9 (Forcible Entry and Detainer). For nonpayment of rent, landlords must serve a 5-day written notice before filing; a material lease violation triggers a 10-day cure notice; a month-to-month holdover requires 30 days; and a fixed-term lease that simply expires requires no pre-filing notice at all. Understanding the full Illinois eviction process matters because uncontested cases still run 30 to 60 days from filing to order, and contested cases can stretch 60 to 150 days. Illinois imposes no just-cause requirement for terminating tenancies and, by state preemption statute, local rent control is prohibited anywhere in Illinois, so landlords face no local price controls in Clark County or anywhere else in the state.

On costs, court filing fees run $200 to $400, sheriff lockout fees add $60 to $200, and attorney fees for eviction cases typically range from $750 to $3,500 depending on complexity, per Illinois eviction costs data. Those figures add up quickly in a contested case, underscoring why solid lease drafting and thorough tenant screening pay dividends. Illinois security deposit limits set by state law also carry compliance obligations landlords should review before collecting funds, and Illinois tenant protections under 765 ILCS 742 require landlords to maintain habitable conditions regardless of a tenant's payment status.

With an average poverty rate of 11% and roughly 27.5% of Clark County residents renting, the county's Low risk rating reflects a modest, stable rental market, review the city grid above to identify which of the 5 communities best fits your investment criteria.