Madison County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Moderate

Madison County, Illinois eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 4.6/10 (Moderate), placing it in the higher-risk third of all 102 Illinois counties, ranked 18 of 102 statewide. That means 17 counties across the state are riskier, while 84 are more landlord-friendly. For investors and landlords, that middle-range average masks a wide operating gap: the 31 cities tracked inside the county range from a low of 3.6/10 to a high of 6/10, a spread that matters far more than the county average when you are picking a specific address to buy or manage.

The county's average rent of $1,051 per month and an average rent-burden rate of 29% signal a tenant base operating near the edge of affordability. A 12.1% poverty rate reinforces that picture. Moderate scores at the county level do not mean low risk; they mean the risk is concentrated geographically, and operating in the wrong pocket without understanding local conditions can expose a landlord to a meaningfully harder collection and retention environment than the 4.7 average suggests.

The cities inside Madison County

The highest-risk location in the county is Venice, which scores 4.8/10, the county maximum. Just behind it sits the city of Madison at 4.6/10, then Alton (population 25,279) at 4.5/10 and East Alton at 4.3/10. Granite City, with a population of 26,549, rounds out the upper tier at 5.2/10. Landlords active in any of these markets should expect higher tenant-stress signals and build their underwriting accordingly.

The contrast on the lower-risk end is sharp. Edwardsville (population 26,474) scores 4.2/10, Glen Carbon sits at 4.2/10, and Godfrey scores 3.7/10. These communities post materially better numbers than the county average and offer a noticeably different risk profile. The takeaway is that risk in Madison County is hyper-local: two cities a few miles apart can differ by more than two full points on the same 10-point scale.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Madison County operates under the Illinois eviction laws Forcible Entry and Detainer statute, 735 ILCS 5/9. For nonpayment of rent, a landlord must serve a 5-day notice before filing suit (735 ILCS 5/9-209). A material lease violation triggers a 10-day cure notice (735 ILCS 5/9-210), and terminating a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days notice (735 ILCS 5/9-207). At the end of a fixed-term lease, no advance notice is required under 735 ILCS 5/9-205. Illinois eviction laws state law does not require just cause for most evictions, and Illinois eviction laws preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so landlords here face no city-level rent caps.

Even in an uncontested case the Illinois eviction laws eviction process typically runs 30 to 60 days; a contested filing can stretch to 60 to 150 days. Court filing fees run $200 to $400, sheriff lockout fees add $60 to $200, and attorney fees commonly range from $750 to $3,500. Understanding the full Illinois eviction costs before a problem tenant surfaces is essential planning for any investor in this market. Landlords should also review Illinois security deposit limits and Illinois tenant protections to confirm their lease agreements and deposit practices are fully compliant.

With 29% of county residents renting and a 12.1% poverty rate, the tenant pool in Madison County carries real financial stress that varies sharply by city. Review the city-by-city grid above to pinpoint where within the county your specific properties fall on the risk spectrum before making acquisition or management decisions.