Marshall County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Low

Marshall County, Illinois eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 3.4/10 (Low), placing it squarely in the middle third of the state's 102 counties. At rank 56 of 102, 55 Illinois counties carry more risk for landlords, while 46 are considered less risky. For investors sizing up this market, that positioning means operating conditions are manageable but not uniformly calm. With a total population of roughly 8,216 and an average rent of $806, the county draws tenants across a modest income spectrum, and a rent burden of 26.1% of income suggests the typical renter here is not severely stretched, which tends to correlate with fewer payment-default situations.

The intra-county range tells a more nuanced story. Scores across the county's 8 cities span from 3.1/10 to 4.3/10, a spread wide enough to matter when choosing a specific location. Landlords who treat Marshall County as a single undifferentiated market may be underestimating the variation that plays out at the street level.

The cities inside Marshall County

Wenona is the highest-risk city in the county at 4.3/10, with a population of 999. That score is meaningfully above the county average and stands out as an outlier investors should examine closely before acquiring rental property there. Lacon, the county's second-largest city with a population of 1,916, scores 3.7/10, also above the county average, making it a market worth monitoring despite its size advantage. Henry, the largest city in Marshall County at 2,441 residents, scores 3.3/10, sitting just below the county average and representing a more stable operating environment for buy-and-hold investors.

On the lower-risk end, Toluca (population 1,477), Hopewell, Varna, and Sparland all score 3.1/10, the lowest figure in the county. These communities offer the most landlord-favorable conditions available within Marshall County's borders. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: two cities separated by a few miles can carry materially different risk profiles, so underwriting each acquisition individually is essential.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Marshall County operates under Illinois eviction laws state law, specifically 735 ILCS 5/9 (Forcible Entry and Detainer). For nonpayment of rent, the required notice period is 5 days. A material lease violation triggers a 10-day notice, and a month-to-month holdover requires 30 days. Uncontested evictions typically resolve in 30 to 60 days; contested cases can stretch from 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, so an eviction's total out-of-pocket cost can vary significantly depending on how it proceeds. Reviewing the full Illinois eviction laws eviction process before placing tenants is time well spent.

Illinois eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction, and the state preempts local rent-control ordinances, meaning no municipality in Marshall County can impose a rent cap. Source-of-income is a protected class under Illinois law, administered by the Illinois Department of Human Rights, so screening policies must account for that. Landlords unfamiliar with Illinois security deposit limits should review the state's deposit rules before signing new leases, and a full read of Illinois tenant protections will clarify the habitability and retaliation statutes (765 ILCS 742 and 765 ILCS 720/1) that apply county-wide.

With a poverty rate of 15.7% and a renter share of 26.6% across the county, the rental market here is relatively small and concentrated; the city-by-city grid above shows exactly where that population, and the associated risk, is distributed.