Allamakee County, Iowa Eviction Risk: Low

Allamakee County scores 2.5/10 (Low risk) on the EvictionRiskMap scale, placing it 65th of 99 counties in Iowa, with 64 counties scoring higher and 34 scoring lower. That puts the county in the middle third of the state, and for landlords and investors the practical read is favorable: low eviction pressure, a modest renter base at 30.7% of households, and average rents of $726 keep the operating environment stable for most property types.

Across the county's 7 tracked cities, scores range from 1.9 to 2.7, a spread that may look narrow on paper but translates to meaningfully different tenant profiles at the local level. An average rent burden of 25.3% suggests most renters are not financially overextended, which tends to correlate with lower default and eviction rates county-wide.

The cities inside Allamakee County

The two highest-scoring cities are Postville (2.7/10, population 2,979) and Harpers Ferry (2.7/10, population 253). Postville is the county's second-largest city and carries the most concentrated tenant population of any elevated-risk market here, so landlords adding units there should underwrite carefully even though a 2.7 score is still well within the Low tier. Harpers Ferry is a small community where a handful of problem tenancies can move local metrics noticeably.

The county seat, Waukon, scores 2.5/10 against a population of 3,792, making it both the largest city and a broadly stable rental market. Lansing (2.3/10) and Luana (2.3/10) sit in the lower-middle range, while New Albin (2.0/10) and Waterville (1.9/10) represent the quietest operating conditions in the county. Risk in this market is genuinely hyper-local: a two-tenths difference in score between neighboring towns can reflect distinct tenant demographics or local economic anchors, so city-level data matters here.

State-level laws that apply here

Every lease in Allamakee County is governed by Iowa eviction laws Code § 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law). For non-payment, Iowa gives landlords a 3-day notice to pay or quit; lease violations carry a 7-day cure notice, and no-cause terminations at the end of a term require 30 days. Iowa law requires landlords to give tenants 24 hours notice before entry. Iowa does not require just cause for non-renewal and state law preempts local rent-control ordinances, so no city inside Allamakee County may impose a rent cap. For a full procedural walkthrough, see the Iowa eviction process guide; for what it costs to remove a non-paying tenant, the Iowa eviction costs breakdown covers filing fees of $95 to $200, sheriff lockout fees of $50 to $150, and attorney fees typically ranging from $500 to $2,500.

Uncontested cases in Iowa resolve in roughly 21 to 40 days; contested matters can run 45 to 100 days. That timeline is competitive with many Midwestern states, and combined with the county's inherently low eviction volume, the litigation risk exposure here is among the lower ones a landlord will encounter.

With a poverty rate of 16.2% and renters making up 30.7% of households, Allamakee County carries moderate demographic pressure, but Low-risk scores across all seven cities suggest conditions remain manageable; review the city grid above to pinpoint which markets best match your investment criteria.