Clinton County, Kentucky Eviction Risk: Very Low
1 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of Albany (2.1) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.
Ranked #114 of 120 KY counties
2k residents · 1 cities · 4 tracts
Clinton County eviction risk score history
Key metrics
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Tenant beats landlord21.1%/ 100 outcomesIn court-decided eviction outcomes for Clinton County, KY, tenants prevail in roughly 21.1% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses and longer calendars.
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Timeline35dfiling → judgmentFrom the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Clinton County, KY until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 35 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent for landlords.
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Cost range$1.2–3.0klegal + lost rentA typical eviction in Clinton County, KY costs landlords $1,228 to $3,042 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent.
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Average rent$48020% stretched on rentAverage gross rent in Clinton County, KY is $480 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey. 20% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent.
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Renters59.2%of households59.2% of occupied housing units in Clinton County, KY are renter-occupied. A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings and a more active rental market.
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Poverty23.2%4.2% unemp.23.2% of Clinton County, KY residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.2%. Both feed the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model.
Scrub 50 years
A score of 2.1/10 reflects very limited tenant-protection infrastructure, low statutory costs, and a permissive eviction framework under Kentucky law. 114th of 120 Kentucky counties - in the lower-risk third of the state.
How Clinton County ranks in Kentucky
Landlord guides for Kentucky
| City↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | % income on rent↕ | Average rent↕ | Lean↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Albany | 1,896 | 2.1 | 19.5% | $480 | Rep |
County heatmap
One county, multiple regulatory regimes.
Clinton County sits in south-central Kentucky eviction laws's Cumberland Plateau region and carries one of the state's most landlord-friendly eviction risk profiles. With an overall score of 2.1/10, the county ranks 114th out of 120 Kentucky eviction laws counties - meaning 113 counties across the state present higher eviction risk, and only 6 rank lower. That places Clinton County firmly in the lower-risk third of Kentucky, a useful benchmark for operators weighing rural markets in the region.
The county's single tracked city, Albany, accounts for the full reported population of 1,896 residents and mirrors the county score at 2.1/10. Average monthly rent in Clinton County runs $480, well below state and national averages, and the average rent burden sits at 19.5% of renter income - a figure that reflects modest housing costs relative to local earnings. Renters make up 59.2% of occupied housing units, a notably high renter share for a rural county of this size, which means the eviction framework here has practical relevance even in a small market. The average poverty rate of 23.2% is a factor worth watching: high poverty can correlate with rent delinquency risk even where eviction law is straightforward.
Kentucky eviction laws's eviction process in Clinton County operates under KRS § 383.500 et seq. (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). Non-payment cases require a 7-day pay-or-quit notice before filing. Lease violation cases carry a 14-day cure notice, and month-to-month or end-of-term terminations require 30 days' notice with no cause stated - just cause is not required anywhere in Kentucky. The state also preempts any local effort to impose rent control, so Albany and Clinton County cannot cap rents independently. Court filing fees run $150 to $250, sheriff lockout fees range from $40 to $150, and attorney fees for eviction matters typically fall between $500 and $2,500 depending on complexity. An uncontested eviction can resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested cases extend to 45 to 120 days. Habitability obligations are codified at KRS § 383.595, and landlord retaliation protections for tenants appear at KRS § 383.705 - neither statute imposes unusual burdens compared to neighboring states. Source-of-income is not a protected class in Kentucky, meaning landlords are not required to accept housing vouchers.
Clinton County's Low score reflects a combination of modest rent levels, no local tenant-protection ordinances, a permissive statewide eviction framework, and limited organized tenant advocacy in this small rural market.
Eviction filings in Clinton County
In September 2025, 2 eviction filings were recorded in Clinton County, 74.9% of the historical average (below average).1
- 2Sep 2025
- 74.9%of historical avg
- 1,036Renter households
- 18.4%Poverty rate
Historical eviction filings in Clinton County
From 2000 to 2016, eviction filings in Clinton County increased 70%. The peak was 23 filings in 2014.2
- 102000
- 23Peak (2014)
- 172016
Data covers 2000–2018, the full span of the Princeton Eviction Lab's national county court-records dataset.
How Clinton County compares
Clinton County's 2.1/10 score is in line with its closest peers - Cumberland County (2/10), Knott County (2.09/10), Lyon County (2.12/10), and Carlisle County (2.13/10) - all clustered at the low end of Kentucky's risk range, and all reflecting the light regulatory environment that characterizes rural Kentucky markets generally.