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Map of Sumner County, KS eviction risk by city, county average 2.4 out of 10
County brief·Updated June 24, 2026

Sumner County, Kansas Eviction Risk: Very Low

11 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of Wellington (2.8) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.

In 2026
Risk score
2.2
VERY LOW

Ranked #34 of 105 KS counties

14k residents · 11 cities · 6 tracts

1976–2026 · pop-weighted from cities

Sumner County eviction risk score history

Min1.5 Average1.9 Now2.2
10 5 1976 · score 1.8 1977 · score 1.8 1978 · score 1.8 1979 · score 1.8 1980 · score 1.8 1981 · score 1.8 1982 · score 1.9 1983 · score 1.8 1984 · score 1.8 1985 · score 1.5 1986 · score 1.5 1987 · score 1.5 1988 · score 1.5 1989 · score 1.5 1990 · score 1.5 1991 · score 1.6 1992 · score 1.8 1993 · score 1.9 1994 · score 1.9 1995 · score 1.9 1996 · score 1.8 1997 · score 1.8 1998 · score 1.7 1999 · score 1.6 2000 · score 1.7 2001 · score 1.8 2002 · score 1.8 2003 · score 1.8 2004 · score 1.8 2005 · score 1.8 2006 · score 1.7 2007 · score 1.7 2008 · score 2.0 2009 · score 2.1 2010 · score 2.2 2011 · score 2.1 2012 · score 2.0 2013 · score 1.9 2014 · score 1.8 2015 · score 1.8 2016 · score 1.8 2017 · score 1.8 2018 · score 1.8 2019 · score 1.9 2020 · score 2.7 2021 · score 2.9 2022 · score 2.1 2023 · score 2.1 2024 · score 2.2 2025 · score 2.2 2026 · score 2.2

Key metrics

Time machine

Scrub 50 years

2026
● LIVE · today ◀ REPLAY · historical

Sumner County averages 2.2/10 across 11 cities, ranging from 1.6 (Milton) to 2.5 (Wellington, the highest-risk city in the county). Ranked 24th of 105 Kansas counties by eviction risk (rank 1 = highest risk).

How Sumner County ranks in Kansas

Lower number means more extreme, where #1 is the most
Eviction Risk Score
Elevated
#34 of 105 KS counties 2.2 / 10
Eviction Risk Score, 68th percentileLowHigh
#34 of 105 counties in Kansas for landlord eviction risk.
Cost of living
Very Low
#42 of 51 states (statewide) 90.1 index
Cost of living, 18th percentileLowHigh
Kansas ranks #42 of 51 states on overall cost of living (9.9% cheaper than the U.S. avg).
Housing services cost
Low
#40 of 51 states (statewide) 71.2 index
Housing services cost, 22nd percentileLowHigh
Kansas ranks #40 of 51 states on housing services (28.8% cheaper than the U.S. avg).
Income spent on rent
Low
#74 of 105 KS counties 23.2% of income
Income spent on rent, 30th percentileLowHigh
#74 of 105 counties in Kansas on % of income spent on rent.

Landlord guides for Kansas

State-specific playbooks
Kansas Eviction Costs →
Filing fees, attorney fees, lost rent, sheriff lockout
Kansas Eviction Process →
Step-by-step timeline, notices, statute cites
Kansas Rent Control →
Statewide caps, local ordinances, just-cause
Kansas Tenant Screening →
Five-point protocol, legal rules, protected classes
Kansas Tenant Protections →
Just cause, retaliation, habitability, entry
Cities in Sumner County
Sorted by Eviction Risk Score · highest first
Map view
CityPopulationRisk% income on rentAverage rentLean
001 Wellington Pop 7,615 · 23.4% income · $733 rent · Rep 7,615 2.3 23.4% $733 Rep
002 Conway Springs Pop 1,573 · 18.9% income · $1,078 rent · Rep 1,573 2.0 18.9% $1,078 Rep
003 Belle Plaine Pop 1,449 · 23.5% income · $711 rent · Rep 1,449 2.1 23.5% $711 Rep
004 Caldwell Pop 976 · 34.0% income · $371 rent · Rep 976 2.8 34.0% $371 Rep
005 Oxford Pop 964 · 21.4% income · $660 rent · Rep 964 1.8 21.4% $660 Rep
006 Argonia Pop 542 · 20.8% income · $688 rent · Rep 542 2.5 20.8% $688 Rep
007 South Haven Pop 276 · 17.0% income · $572 rent · Rep 276 1.7 17.0% $572 Rep
008 Milton Pop 185 · 23.3% income · $736 rent · Rep 185 1.7 23.3% $736 Rep
009 Hunnewell Pop 104 · 23.3% income · $736 rent · Rep 104 2.1 23.3% $736 Rep
010 Mayfield Pop 102 · 25.8% income · $938 rent · Rep 102 2.4 25.8% $938 Rep
011 Milan Pop 80 · 23.3% income · $736 rent · Rep 80 1.8 23.3% $736 Rep

County heatmap

Geographic distribution
Local landlord context

One county, multiple regulatory regimes.

Sumner County, Kansas eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.2/10 (Low) across its 11 cities, which on the surface reads as a calm market. The important qualifier is context: the county's rank of 24 of 105 Kansas eviction laws counties places it in the higher-risk third of the state, meaning 23 counties are riskier but 81 are less risky and more landlord-friendly. For investors weighing where to put capital in south-central Kansas eviction laws, that distinction matters, especially when average rent sits at $736 per month and roughly 33.8% of residents are renters.

Within those numbers, the intra-county spread runs from 1.7 to 2.8, a full point of variance inside a single county. That gap tells landlords that location choice within Sumner County carries real weight, and a county-level average only gets you so far when underwriting a specific property.

The cities inside Sumner County

The highest-risk communities are Wellington (population 7,615, score 2.3/10) and Belle Plaine (population 1,449, score 2.1/10), both sitting at the county ceiling. Wellington eviction risk, as the county seat and by far the largest city, drives a disproportionate share of total rental activity, so its score carries outsized practical weight for investors scanning the county. Belle Plaine is smaller but scores identically, signaling similar underlying stress indicators.

Conway Springs (score 2/10, population 1,573) and Caldwell (score 2.8/10, population 976) land in the middle range. At the other end of the spectrum sits Milton, with a score of 1.7/10 and a population of 185, the lowest-risk city in the county by a clear margin. The gap between Milton and Wellington is nearly a full point, confirming that eviction risk in Sumner County is genuinely hyper-local rather than uniformly distributed.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Sumner County works under the Kansas eviction laws Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (K.S.A. § 58-2540 et seq.). For nonpayment of rent, the required notice period is 3 days; a lease-violation notice allowing cure runs 14 days; and an end-of-term, no-cause termination requires 30 days. Kansas eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction and, by statute, preempts any local rent-control ordinances, so landlords face no city-level rent caps anywhere in the county. Understanding the full Kansas eviction laws eviction process is essential before filing: an uncontested case resolves in roughly 21 to 45 days, while a contested matter can stretch from 45 to 100 days.

On cost, Kansas eviction costs break down to a court filing fee of $120 to $200, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $150, and attorney fees typically ranging from $500 to $2,500. Kansas security deposit limits and the retaliation protections under K.S.A. § 58-2572 are the other key statutory guardrails landlords should know before signing leases in this market.

With an average poverty rate of 13.6% and 33.8% of residents renting, the risk profile across Sumner County's cities varies enough that the city-by-city grid above is the most reliable starting point for any site-specific due diligence.

How Sumner County compares

Among its closest peer counties, Sumner County's 2.2/10 average sits near the middle of the group: Bourbon County is slightly lower at 2.37/10, Atchison County is comparable at 2.42/10, and Cherokee County, Pratt County, and Barton County range from 2.45 to 2.52/10, all modestly higher. Within Kansas as a whole, Sumner County ranks 24th of 105 counties on the risk index (rank 1 = highest risk), placing it in the higher-risk third of the state despite its Low absolute score.

Peer counties in Kansas

Same state, closest by population and Eviction Risk Score
Peer county
Labette County eviction risk
2.3
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 14.2K
Peer county
Cherokee County eviction risk
2.2
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 12.2K
Peer county
Osage County eviction risk
2.2
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 10.1K
Peer county
Seward County eviction risk
2.3
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 19.7K

Where eviction risk concentrates in Sumner County

Top cities + top neighborhoods · click any card for the full breakdown

Top cities by population

Frequently asked

Frequently asked questions about Sumner County

Q1

How is the Sumner County eviction risk score computed?

Each of the 11 cities in the county is independently scored on nine sub-factors. The county-wide 2.2/10 average reflects a population-weighted mean of those municipal scores.
Q2

Does Sumner County have rent control?

Rent control is determined by state law and city ordinance. Kansas state framework applies. See the Kansas eviction laws rent-control guide for details.
Q3

What is the political climate in Sumner County?

Sumner County voted Republican by 50.5 points in 2020.