Williamson County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Moderate

Williamson County scores 4/10 on the eviction-risk scale, a Moderate rating that places it among the higher-risk third of all 102 Illinois counties, ranked 29th in the state, meaning 28 counties carry more risk and 73 are more landlord-friendly. For investors sizing up southern Illinois, that positioning deserves attention: conditions here are not the worst in the state, but they are meaningfully tighter than in the majority of Illinois markets. Rent averages $929 per month across the county, and roughly 34.9% of households rent, giving landlords a solid tenant pool, though a poverty rate of 15.4% signals that a meaningful share of that pool faces financial pressure.

Across all 16 cities tracked inside the county, scores span a tighter-than-expected band of 3.4 to 4.5, and that compressed range does not mean uniform conditions. A landlord operating in the county seat faces a different risk profile than one holding units in a smaller outlying community. Knowing which sub-markets sit at the upper end of that range is the practical starting point for underwriting any acquisition here.

The cities inside Williamson County

Colp carries the highest score in the county at 4.5/10, followed by Marion (4.2, population 16,836) and Herrin (4.2, population 12,226). Those three communities, which together account for a large portion of the county's 45,102 total residents, consistently show the stress indicators, such as rent burden and poverty concentration, that drive eviction risk upward. Carterville sits just below at 4.1, essentially matching the county average, while Crainville comes in at 4.0.

At the lower end, Johnston City scores 3.8 and Energy and Pittsburg each land at 3.9, representing meaningfully better operating conditions relative to the county leaders. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: the gap between Cambria at 4.3 and Johnston City at 3.8 is not trivial when it translates to court filings, contested timelines, and carrying costs. Landlords who look only at the county average miss that spread entirely.

State-level laws that apply here

Illinois eviction law, codified under 735 ILCS 5/9 (Forcible Entry and Detainer), sets the procedural framework for every Williamson County landlord. For nonpayment, the required notice is 5 days; a material lease violation triggers a 10-day notice; and month-to-month holdovers require 30 days. An uncontested case typically resolves in 30 to 60 days, but a contested filing can stretch to 60 to 150 days before a final order. Cost components under the Illinois eviction process include court filing fees of $200 to $400, sheriff lockout fees of $60 to $200, and attorney fees typically ranging from $750 to $3,500. On the favorable side for landlords, Illinois eviction costs do not include a just-cause requirement, meaning no-fault terminations are permitted, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so there is no cap on rent increases anywhere in the county. Illinois security deposit limits are governed by state statute as well, and the Illinois Department of Human Rights enforces fair-housing protections, including source-of-income as a protected class.

With a poverty rate of 15.4% and roughly 35% of households renting, Williamson County carries real underlying pressure that the city-level grid above translates into specific scores, letting you compare Cambria, Marion, Herrin, and every other tracked community side by side before committing capital.