Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from constituent census tracts, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
19.8%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Hill City, KS, tenants prevail in roughly 19.8% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
36d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Hill City, KS until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 36 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.3–3.7k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Hill City, KS costs landlords $1,332 to $3,704 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$735
33% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Hill City, KS is $735 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 33% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
31.4%
of households
31.4% of occupied housing units in Hill City, KS are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
11.3%
15.1% unemp.
11.3% of Hill City, KS residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 15.1%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +65.7% (2024)
2.6
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
2.6
State political climate
Kansas legislature & governorship
2.0
Economic stress
11.3% poverty · 15.1% unemp.
4.6
Supply constraint
$735 average · 31.4% renters
3.1
Rent Control risk
32.8% of income on rent
1.2
Eviction process difficulty
36 days filing → judgment
2.1
Tenant organizing strength
31.4% renters
1.2
Housing court bias
County bench composition
1.7
Geographic context
Risk heat across Hill City and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Hill City compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Graham County
Elevated
#2of 4 cities
#2 of 4 cities in Graham County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Kansas
Elevated
#202of 740 cities
#202 of 740 cities in Kansas for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.3
/ 10 · VERY LOW
The verdict
A Very low-tier market.
Composite 2.3/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.5 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
36d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $735/mo. A contested eviction takes 36 days and costs $1,332–$3,704 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
31.4%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,511 residents, 31.4% rent. 33% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 11.3% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
2.6
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 2.6 and 2.6 (GOP margin +65.7% (2024)). State climate at 2, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 2.1, housing court bias 1.7, rent-control risk 1.2. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-2.9 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
4.6
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 4.6. Supply constraint: 3.1. The numbers behind those: 11.3% poverty, 15.1% unemployment, 33% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Hill City sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Hill City · 36d · ~$2.5k all-in ($70/day) · score 2.3National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Hill City, Kansas, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.3/10 (VERY LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Hill City is a city of 1,511 residents where 31.4% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 32.8% of income on rent. At an average rent of $735/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Hill City eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 2.1/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Hill City closes 36 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Hill City's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 1.7/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Hill City runs $1,332 to $3,704 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 36 days of typical timeline and $735/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 1.2/10 in Hill City, and the city has limited rent control exposure (1.2/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Kansas, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Hill City: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a VERY LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Kansas's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $3,704 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Hill City
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Compare Hill City to neighboring cities in Graham County via the grid below. The 2.3/10 score is computed from nine sub-factors plus a state-law multiplier under K.S.A. 58-2540. Graham County 2020 presidential margin: R+63.8. Cross-reference the state overview link in the guides section for Kansas statutory detail.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after I serve the 3-day notice?
If you accept a partial payment after serving a 3-day notice, it can "waive" your notice, meaning you might have to start the eviction process over. Generally, it's best to accept only the full amount or proceed with the eviction. Consult an attorney before accepting partial payments during the notice period.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant for reasons other than non-payment in Hill City?
Yes, Kansas does not have statewide "just cause" eviction requirements. For a month-to-month tenancy, you can typically terminate with a 30-day notice without stating a specific reason. For lease violations, your lease should specify what constitutes a breach and the notice period required (often 10-14 days for curable breaches, or immediate for severe, non-curable ones). Always check your lease terms and state law, and consider our Kansas tenant protections guide.
Q3
How long does it take for the sheriff to perform a lockout after a court order?
Once you have a judgment for possession, the sheriff typically schedules the lockout within a few days to a week, depending on their availability. It's not immediate, so factor this into your timeline. You'll need to coordinate with them and potentially be present.
Q4
Do I need an attorney for an eviction in Hill City?
While you can represent yourself in Kansas small claims or district court for an eviction, it's often recommended to hire an attorney, especially if the tenant is contesting the eviction or if you're unfamiliar with the process. An attorney can ensure all notices are correct and deadlines are met, preventing costly procedural errors. Given the typical cost range of $1,332, $3,704, an attorney's fee might save you more in lost rent and delays.
Q5
What if the tenant leaves belongings behind after an eviction?
Kansas law (K.S.A. § 58-2565) has specific rules for handling abandoned property. You generally need to store the items for a certain period (usually 30 days) and notify the tenant. If they don't claim them, you can dispose of or sell the property. Never just throw out a tenant's belongings immediately after they vacate.
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Hill City, KS Eviction Risk 2.3/10: Low Cost, Fast Process 2024
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Hill City, KS landlords face a 2.3/10 eviction risk. Expect 3-day notices, 36-day average evictions, costs $1,332-$3,704. Get the practical landlord playbook.
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Landlords in Hill City, Kansas, often find themselves in a unique position compared to those in larger, more complex markets. With a population of just over 1,500, this Graham County community presents a different set of challenges and opportunities. For you, the everyday landlord managing a few units, understanding the local eviction climate is critical. Good news: our data pegs Hill City's eviction risk score at a low 2.3/10, placing it in the "low risk" tier. This score reflects a combination of factors, from the straightforward legal process to the economic stability of the area.
A low eviction risk doesn't mean no risk, but it certainly suggests a more manageable environment. The low rent-to-income ratio of 32.8% and a average rent of $735/month indicate that tenants, on average, are not overly stretched. This can translate to fewer payment issues. However, even in a low-risk market, mistakes can be costly. This guide cuts through the legal jargon to give you a practical playbook for managing your Hill City rentals, ensuring you know exactly what to do when things go sideways.
A 2.3/10 places Hill City in the 76th percentile of Kansas cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Hill City (2.3/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
