Russell County, Kentucky Eviction Risk: Low

Russell County sits in the south-central Kentucky highlands with a combined tracked population of 4,512 residents across its two principal cities, Russell Springs and Jamestown. The county carries an eviction risk score of 2.7/10 (Low), yet its state rank tells a more pointed story: at 7th out of 120 Kentucky counties, only six counties statewide carry a higher risk profile. That places Russell County firmly in the higher-risk third of the state despite its nominally low absolute score, a distinction landlords should weigh carefully before treating this market as uniformly safe.

The underlying economics drive that tension. Average rents in the county run just $652 per month, which sounds modest until you set it against a 28.6% average rent burden and a 33.8% average poverty rate - one of the more strained household income pictures in Kentucky. More than half of tracked residents (53.5%) are renters, meaning the landlord base is broad relative to the population. Jamestown, the county seat, scores a 2.8/10 and is technically the riskiest point in the county; Russell Springs, the larger city at 2,773 residents, scores 2.7/10. Both cities sit close together on the risk scale, so portfolio diversification between them offers limited insulation against a simultaneous local downturn.

Kentucky eviction procedure runs under KRS § 383.500 et seq. (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), which sets a 7-day notice for non-payment of rent, a 14-day cure period for lease violations, and a 30-day no-cause notice for end-of-term terminations. Court filing fees in the state range from $150 to $250, and sheriff lockout fees run $40 to $150. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested matters can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Attorney fees, when involved, commonly fall in the $500 to $2,500 range. Kentucky has a statewide preemption statute that blocks local governments from enacting rent control or rent stabilization ordinances, so landlords in Russell County face no local rent cap risk. Source of income is not a protected class in Kentucky, and just cause is not required to terminate a tenancy. Retaliation protections for tenants are codified under KRS § 383.705, and habitability standards under KRS § 383.595 - both areas where landlord compliance matters regardless of how low the local risk score runs.

Russell County's scores range from 2.7 to 2.8/10 across its two tracked cities, a narrow band that reflects a consistent economic environment throughout the county rather than pockets of concentrated distress.