Crawford County, Indiana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Crawford County, Indiana scores 2.8/10 (Low risk) across its 8 incorporated places, placing it at rank 66 of 92 Indiana counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk location. That means 65 counties in the state carry more landlord risk than Crawford County, and only 26 are considered less risky, putting this county firmly in the lower-risk third of Indiana. For landlords weighing where to deploy capital, that context matters: average rent of $660 per month, a rent-burden rate of 23.9%, and a renter share of 31.2% describe a modest but functional rental market where eviction pressure is, on the whole, subdued.

That said, the county average of 2.8/10 papers over real intra-county variation. Individual city scores range from 2.4 to 3.5, a spread wide enough to meaningfully change a landlord's operating calculus depending on which community a property sits in. The county's small total renter population of roughly 3,332 residents means portfolio diversification within Crawford County is limited, so precise city-level due diligence carries more weight than it might in a larger metro.

The cities inside Crawford County

The highest-risk location in the county is Milltown, scoring 3.5/10 with a population of 763. That score still falls in Low territory statewide, but it is a full 1.1 points above the county's floor, and landlords with units there should expect somewhat more friction than the county average implies. Eckerty, Grantsburg, and Taswell each score 3.2/10, with populations of 112, 66, and 25, respectively. These are small communities where a single troubled tenancy can have an outsized effect on a concentrated portfolio.

At the other end of the range, English, the county's largest city at 1,008 residents, scores the lowest at 2.4/10, making it the most landlord-friendly spot in Crawford County. Leavenworth and Alton both score 2.5/10, and Marengo, with 924 residents, sits at the county average of 2.8/10. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: a few miles of county road can separate a 2.4 from a 3.5, and the city-level data above is the right starting point for any acquisition decision.

State-level laws that apply here

Indiana law under Ind. Code § 32-31 (Landlord-Tenant Relations) governs every tenancy in Crawford County. For nonpayment of rent, the required notice period is 10 days under IC 32-31-1-6. Material lease violations require a 30-day notice under IC 32-31-1-8, and terminating a month-to-month tenancy also requires 30 days under IC 32-31-1-1. Once a case is filed, uncontested proceedings resolve in roughly 21 to 45 days, while contested matters can stretch to 45 to 100 days. Understanding the Indiana eviction process before signing a lease is essential, because even a routine case carries court filing fees of $150 to $200, sheriff lockout fees of $50 to $200, and attorney fees typically ranging from $500 to $2,500.

Indiana eviction costs can therefore total anywhere from roughly $700 on the low end to over $2,900 at the high end, before accounting for lost rent during vacancy. Indiana does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent control, so no municipality in Crawford County can impose rent caps. Source-of-income is not a protected class under state fair housing rules, though the Indiana Civil Rights Commission enforces all other applicable fair housing protections. Reviewing Indiana security deposit limits and Indiana tenant protections in full before drafting lease terms will help landlords in Crawford County stay compliant while protecting their positions.

With an average poverty rate of 29% across the county and a renter share of 31.2%, Crawford County's rental pool is economically constrained; the city-level scores in the grid above identify which communities carry more of that concentration and which offer a cleaner operating environment.