Labette County, Kansas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Labette County, Kansas scores 1.9/10 (Very Low) for eviction risk, averaged across 9 cities in a county of roughly 14,243 residents. That average, though, sits at rank 11 of 105 Kansas counties, meaning only 10 counties in the state carry higher risk, placing Labette firmly in the higher-risk third statewide. For landlords, the combination of an average rent of $771 and a rent-burden rate of 25.4% suggests tenants are paying a manageable share of income toward housing, which generally supports on-time rent collection.

The intra-county score range runs from 1.8 to 2.9, a full point of variation that matters in practice. Investors looking at this county as a uniform market will miss material differences in collection risk, vacancy pressure, and eviction frequency city by city. With 30.8% of households renting, the rental pool is real but not deep, so tenant quality screening and lease discipline carry extra weight here.

The cities inside Labette County

Parsons is the county seat and by far the largest community, with a population of 9,425 and the highest city-level score at 2.8/10. It is the dominant rental market in Labette County, and its score sits at the top of the county range. Oswego, the next largest at 1,937 residents, scores 2.6/10, still above the county average. Both cities warrant tighter screening standards than the county-wide number might suggest.

At the lower end of the risk spectrum, Dennis scores 1.9/10 and Bartlett scores 2.5/10, both very small communities with fewer than 200 residents each. Altamont at 1.8/10 and Chetopa at 2.9/10 sit in the middle of the county range. The takeaway is clear: risk is hyper-local inside Labette County, and a single county average does not tell landlords what they need to know before committing to a specific city.

State-level laws that apply here

Under K.S.A. § 58-2540 et seq. (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), Kansas gives landlords relatively short notice windows. Non-payment of rent requires just a 3-day notice; a lease violation subject to cure requires 14 days; and a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. Once a case is filed, uncontested matters typically resolve in 21 to 45 days, while contested proceedings can run 45 to 100 days. Court filing fees range from $120 to $200, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500. Understanding the full Kansas eviction costs before you price a deal is essential for accurate underwriting.

Kansas has no rent control and does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent ordinances. Source of income is not a protected class under Kansas state law. Kansas tenant protections do apply through the habitability statute at K.S.A. § 58-2553 and the retaliation statute at K.S.A. § 58-2572, so landlords must meet maintenance obligations and cannot penalize tenants for reporting habitability issues. Reviewing the Kansas eviction process in full before operating here will help you avoid procedural missteps that extend timelines unnecessarily.

With a poverty rate of 20.7% across the county, the tenant base in Labette County carries meaningful financial fragility, a factor that increases the probability of late payment even in a low overall risk market. The city-by-city breakdown above is the most actionable place to start your due diligence.