McCracken County, Kentucky Eviction Risk: Very Low

McCracken County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.3/10 (Very Low), but that headline figure masks a real spread across the 7 cities tracked here, where individual scores range from 1.8 to 2.5. For landlords and investors operating in Kentucky, a Low county average is broadly reassuring, yet the higher end of that range, 3.8, sits in a tier that warrants genuine due diligence before acquiring or leasing additional units. State-level tenant protections are moderate, and the local renter base, roughly 36% of households, means demand for rental housing is steady but so is the pool of tenants who may face financial stress.

The county's rank in the state puts this in perspective: McCracken County sits at 13 of 120 Kentucky counties by risk, meaning only 12 counties are riskier and 107 are less so. That places McCracken County firmly in the higher-risk third of the state, not an alarming outlier, but not a sleepy, landlord-dominant market either. Landlords should factor in the county's 18% poverty rate when projecting vacancy and collection risk, particularly in higher-density pockets.

The cities inside McCracken County

Paducah, the county seat and by far the largest city at 26,845 residents, ties for the highest risk score in the county at 3.8/10. Massac, a much smaller community of 4,698, also scores 3.8/10, meaning the top-end risk is not exclusive to the urban core. Hendron (2.1/10, population 4,495) and Farley (2.5/10, population 4,458) occupy the middle of the range. Reidland, with 5,277 residents, comes in at 2.1/10, a somewhat more favorable profile despite its size. The takeaway: risk in McCracken County is genuinely hyper-local, and a few miles of distance can shift your operating environment meaningfully.

At the low end, Lowes scores 2.1/10 and Lovelaceville scores 1.8/10, though both are very small communities with populations of 111 and 28, respectively. These scores reflect favorable conditions but limited scale for portfolio growth. Investors prioritizing lower operating risk should weigh Reidland's combination of relative affordability and a 3.4 score against Paducah eviction risk's larger tenant base and higher risk.

State-level laws that apply here

Under KRS § 383.500 et seq. (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), Kentucky requires a 7-day notice for non-payment of rent, a 14-day notice for a lease violation with opportunity to cure, and a 30-day notice for end-of-term or no-cause terminations. Kentucky state law does not require just cause to end a tenancy, and the state preempts any local rent control ordinance, so McCracken County landlords are not exposed to the rent-cap or just-cause requirements found in other states. For a fuller picture of what to expect from start to finish, the Kentucky eviction process and Kentucky eviction costs are worth reviewing before your first filing.

On cost, the Kentucky eviction process involves court filing fees of $150 to $250, sheriff lockout fees of $40 to $150, and attorney fees that typically run $500 to $2,500 depending on contested status. An uncontested case resolves in roughly 21 to 45 days; a contested proceeding can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Those time and cost ranges are why screening thoroughly upfront, and understanding Kentucky security deposit limits and Kentucky tenant protections before signing a lease, materially reduces long-run exposure.

With an average rent burden of 27.5% of income and a renter share of 36% of households, McCracken County carries a meaningful base of cost-pressured tenants; the city-level breakdown above shows where that pressure concentrates most, and where landlords have the most favorable operating conditions.