Rock Island County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Elevated

Rock Island County carries an average eviction-risk score of 5.5/10 (Elevated), placing it fourth out of 102 counties in Illinois eviction laws, meaning only three counties in the state present greater landlord risk. With 32.8% of households renting and a poverty rate of 16.8%, the county's tenant pool carries measurable financial stress, and an average rent of $886 per month leaves little cushion when income disruptions occur. Landlords operating here should expect meaningful exposure to nonpayment cases and a state process that, while not the worst in Illinois eviction laws, still demands careful lease management and reserve planning.

The 22 municipalities spread across the county do not share that risk equally. Scores range from 4.8 at the low end to 5.7 at the high end, a gap of nearly a full point that has real consequences for portfolio decisions. Choosing the right submarket within Rock Island County matters as much as the county-level number itself.

The cities inside Rock Island County

The highest-risk location in the county is Rock Island Arsenal, scoring 5.7/10, the only city to reach the top of the local range. Silvis (population 7,955) and Carbon Cliff (population 2,151) follow at 5.6/10 each, putting them in the elevated tier alongside the county's two largest cities: Moline (population 42,197) and Rock Island (population 36,151), both at 5.5/10. East Moline (population 20,904) and Milan (population 5,034) also sit at 5.5/10. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: a landlord two miles away in Coal Valley (population 4,229) faces a notably lower score of 4.8/10, the most landlord-friendly reading in the county, while Hampton checks in at 5.2/10. Investors comparing submarkets should run city-level numbers rather than relying on the county average alone.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlord-tenant proceedings in Illinois are governed by 735 ILCS 5/9 (Forcible Entry and Detainer). For nonpayment of rent, Illinois law requires a 5-day written notice before filing; a material lease violation triggers a 10-day notice; a month-to-month holdover requires 30 days; and a fixed-term lease that simply expires requires no additional notice. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 30 to 60 days from filing, but a contested eviction can stretch to 60 to 150 days. Court filing fees run $200 to $400, sheriff lockout fees add $60 to $200, and attorney fees range from $750 to $3,500 depending on complexity. For a full breakdown of what those components add up to in practice, see the Illinois eviction costs guide. Illinois does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts local rent-control ordinances, so no municipality in Rock Island County can impose a rent cap. Landlords should still review the Illinois eviction process in detail, as notice defects are the most common reason cases are dismissed and reset the clock.

With a poverty rate of 16.8% and just under a third of households renting, Rock Island County's elevated county average is driven by concentrated stress in its larger cities; the city grid above breaks each of the 22 municipalities down individually so you can pinpoint where your properties sit on the risk spectrum.