Meade County, Kansas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Meade County sits in the southwest corner of Kansas eviction laws with a total population of 3,111 and an eviction risk score of 1.8/10 - one of the lowest readings in the state. Of 105 Kansas counties, only 4 score lower, which puts Meade County firmly in the safest tier for landlords operating under the state's residential tenancy framework. The three cities tracked in the county are Meade (population 1,341), Plains (population 1,171), and Fowler (population 599). Meade and Plains both score 1.7/10, while Fowler carries the county's high-water mark at 2.3/10 - still well within the Low range and the figure that pulls the county average up slightly.

The economic profile here is notably stable by rural Kansas standards. Average rent runs $793 a month, and the average rent burden is 20.5% of household income - comfortably below the 30% threshold that researchers typically flag as financially stressful for renters. The poverty rate sits at 7.9%, and renters make up 29.2% of households. Those numbers taken together explain the low eviction pressure: a relatively affordable rent-to-income ratio leaves little room for the payment crises that generate court filings. Landlords in Meade County are unlikely to encounter the volume of contested proceedings that characterize higher-burden urban markets elsewhere in Kansas.

Kansas eviction procedure is governed by K.S.A. § 58-2540 et seq. (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), which sets the baseline rules statewide with no local rent control permitted - Kansas preempts all municipal rent caps. Non-payment notices require just 3 days; lease-violation cure notices require 14 days; and a no-cause end-of-term notice requires 30 days. Court filing fees in Kansas range from $120 to $200, with sheriff lockout fees between $40 and $150. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested proceedings can stretch 45 to 100 days. Attorney fees for a full eviction commonly fall between $500 and $2,500 depending on complexity. Source of income is not a protected class under Kansas fair housing law, which gives landlords more flexibility in screening. Habitability obligations are codified at K.S.A. § 58-2553, and the anti-retaliation provision appears at K.S.A. § 58-2572.

Meade County's low eviction risk reflects a combination of affordable average rents, a below-average poverty rate, and a small renter population spread across three rural communities in southwestern Kansas eviction laws.