Montgomery County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Low

Montgomery County carries a county-wide average eviction-risk score of 3.7/10, placing it in the Low tier and squarely in the middle third of Illinois counties. Of the 102 counties scored statewide, 45 rank riskier and 56 rank more landlord-friendly, which means most of Illinois eviction laws presents a calmer operating environment than here, though this county is far from the most challenging market in the state. Across 17 cities in Montgomery County, scores run from a low of 3.2/10 to a high of 3.9/10, a tight band that signals relatively consistent conditions throughout the county rather than dramatic neighborhood-level swings. Average rent sits at $727 per month against a rent burden of 28.2%, suggesting tenants are not severely stretched, which generally correlates with fewer payment-related eviction triggers for landlords.

With roughly 27.1% of residents renting and a total county population of 20,959, this is a smaller, rural market. Portfolio depth is limited, but competition for tenants is similarly constrained. Investors familiar with downstate Illinois markets will recognize the tradeoffs: lower rents, lower volatility, and state eviction rules that, under Illinois law, apply uniformly to every address in the county.

The cities inside Montgomery County

The highest-risk cities in Montgomery County are Litchfield (3.9/10, population 6,834) and Witt (3.9/10, population 875), tied at the top of the county range. Hillsboro (3.8/10, population 5,803) and Taylor Springs (3.8/10) are the next tier, followed by Waggoner at 3.7/10. Litchfield and Hillsboro are the two largest cities in the county and account for the bulk of the rental inventory, so landlords concentrating holdings in either market should plan around the slightly elevated scores relative to the county average.

The lowest-risk city in the county is Nokomis at 3.2/10 (population 2,147), followed by Raymond at 3.5/10. That 0.7-point spread between Nokomis and the riskiest cities underscores that risk is genuinely hyper-local, even within a county as compact as this one. A landlord choosing between a Litchfield property and a Nokomis property is not making an equivalent bet, even though both sit in Montgomery County.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Montgomery County operates under the Illinois Forcible Entry and Detainer Act, codified at 735 ILCS 5/9. For nonpayment of rent, the required notice period is 5 days. A material lease violation triggers a 10-day cure notice, while a month-to-month holdover tenant is entitled to 30 days notice. Fixed-term leases that simply expire require no advance notice to terminate under state law. Understanding the full Illinois eviction process matters here because uncontested cases typically resolve in 30 to 60 days, while contested proceedings can stretch to 60 to 150 days.

On costs, the Illinois eviction costs landlords face include a court filing fee of $200 to $400, a sheriff lockout fee of $60 to $200, and attorney fees ranging from $750 to $3,500. Illinois does not require just cause for eviction and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, meaning no municipality in Montgomery County can impose a rent cap, which is a meaningful structural advantage for buy-and-hold investors. Source-of-income is a protected class under the Illinois Department of Human Rights, so landlords should factor that into screening policies alongside the Illinois security deposit limits that govern how deposits are held and returned statewide.

With a poverty rate of 16% and just over one in four residents renting, Montgomery County's risk profile is shaped by a modest but real affordability stress; the city-by-city grid above shows exactly where within the county that stress is most concentrated.