Hodgeman County, Kansas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Hodgeman County sits in the heart of southwest Kansas with a population of 793 and just two incorporated cities - Jetmore and Hanston. The county earns a Low eviction risk score of 2.1/10, placing it 67th out of 105 Kansas counties, meaning 66 counties in the state carry higher risk for landlords. That middle-third ranking reflects a rental market that is genuinely small and stable rather than one propped up by policy protections.

Average rent across the county runs $864 per month, and the average rent burden sits at 26% of household income - below the commonly cited 30% stress threshold. The poverty rate of 7.3% is well below the national average, and renters make up only 24.9% of occupied housing units. That low renter share is typical of agricultural counties where owner-occupied farmsteads and rural residences dominate the housing stock. Jetmore, the county seat with a population of 580, scores 2/10. Hanston, the county's smaller city at 213 residents, scores 2.3/10 - the highest point in the county's range - reflecting modest differences in local rental conditions between the two communities.

Kansas landlord-tenant law governs the entire county under K.S.A. § 58-2540 et seq. (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). Non-payment of rent requires a 3-day notice before a landlord can file for eviction. Lease violation cases require a 14-day cure notice, and no-cause terminations require 30 days. Uncontested eviction proceedings typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested cases run 45 to 100 days. Court filing fees range from $120 to $200, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $150, and attorney costs from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Kansas state law preempts any local rent control ordinance, so no city or county in Kansas can impose rent caps - Hodgeman County included. There is no just-cause eviction requirement under Kansas law, giving landlords broad flexibility to end tenancies at the end of a lease term with proper notice.

Hodgeman County's Low risk score reflects a thin but stable rental market: low poverty, below-average rent burden, and a small renter population governed by Kansas eviction laws's landlord-favorable statutory framework.