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Map of Tuscola County, MI eviction risk by city, county average 5 out of 10
County brief·Updated July 27, 2026

Tuscola County, Michigan Eviction Risk: Low

13 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of Caro (3.4) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.

In 2026
Risk score
3.1
LOW

Ranked #28 of 83 MI counties

15k residents · 13 cities · 13 tracts

1976–2026 · pop-weighted from cities

Tuscola County eviction risk score history

Min1.7 Average2.7 Now3.1
10 5 1976 · score 2.1 1977 · score 2.0 1978 · score 2.0 1979 · score 2.0 1980 · score 2.2 1981 · score 2.2 1982 · score 2.2 1983 · score 2.2 1984 · score 2.2 1985 · score 2.2 1986 · score 2.1 1987 · score 2.1 1988 · score 1.7 1989 · score 1.7 1990 · score 1.8 1991 · score 1.9 1992 · score 2.4 1993 · score 2.3 1994 · score 2.3 1995 · score 2.3 1996 · score 2.5 1997 · score 2.5 1998 · score 2.5 1999 · score 2.5 2000 · score 2.5 2001 · score 2.6 2002 · score 2.7 2003 · score 2.7 2004 · score 2.7 2005 · score 2.7 2006 · score 2.8 2007 · score 2.8 2008 · score 3.4 2009 · score 3.6 2010 · score 3.6 2011 · score 3.7 2012 · score 3.5 2013 · score 3.5 2014 · score 3.4 2015 · score 3.2 2016 · score 3.2 2017 · score 3.1 2018 · score 3.1 2019 · score 3.0 2020 · score 4.2 2021 · score 4.3 2022 · score 3.4 2023 · score 3.0 2024 · score 3.2 2025 · score 3.1 2026 · score 3.1

Key metrics

Time machine

Scrub 50 years

2026
● LIVE · today ◀ REPLAY · historical

Tuscola County's average eviction-risk score of 3.1/10 sits at the top of the county's 2.5 to 3.4 range, driven by Caro at the county's highest score of 3.4/10. Ranked 36 of 83 Michigan counties by eviction risk (rank 1 = highest risk).

How Tuscola County ranks in Michigan

Lower number means more extreme, where #1 is the most
Eviction Risk Score
Elevated
#28 of 83 MI counties 3.1 / 10
Eviction Risk Score, 67th percentileLowHigh
#28 of 83 counties in Michigan for landlord eviction risk.
Cost of living
Moderate
#28 of 51 states (statewide) 96.2 index
Cost of living, 46th percentileLowHigh
Michigan ranks #28 of 51 states on overall cost of living (3.8% cheaper than the U.S. avg).
Housing services cost
Moderate
#29 of 51 states (statewide) 82.3 index
Housing services cost, 44th percentileLowHigh
Michigan ranks #29 of 51 states on housing services (17.7% cheaper than the U.S. avg).
Income spent on rent
Moderate
#39 of 83 MI counties 30.4% of income
Income spent on rent, 54th percentileLowHigh
#39 of 83 counties in Michigan on % of income spent on rent.

Landlord guides for Michigan

State-specific playbooks
Michigan Eviction Costs →
Filing fees, attorney fees, lost rent, sheriff lockout
Michigan Eviction Process →
Step-by-step timeline, notices, statute cites
Michigan Rent Control →
Statewide caps, local ordinances, just-cause
Michigan Tenant Screening →
Five-point protocol, legal rules, protected classes
Michigan Tenant Protections →
Just cause, retaliation, habitability, entry
Cities in Tuscola County
Sorted by Eviction Risk Score · highest first
Map view
CityPopulationRisk% income on rentAverage rentLean
001 Caro Pop 4,290 · 30.0% income · $753 rent · Rep 4,290 3.4 30.0% $753 Rep
002 Vassar Pop 2,707 · 27.6% income · $744 rent · Rep 2,707 3.2 27.6% $744 Rep
003 Cass City Pop 2,210 · 24.6% income · $642 rent · Rep 2,210 3.0 24.6% $642 Rep
004 Millington Pop 1,122 · 51.0% income · $894 rent · Rep 1,122 2.8 51.0% $894 Rep
005 Fostoria Pop 1,050 · 34.6% income · $1,007 rent · Rep 1,050 3.3 34.6% $1,007 Rep
006 Mayville Pop 1,045 · 27.3% income · $669 rent · Rep 1,045 3.2 27.3% $669 Rep
007 Unionville Pop 569 · 42.2% income · $1,278 rent · Rep 569 2.9 42.2% $1,278 Rep
008 Fairgrove Pop 547 · 23.8% income · $842 rent · Rep 547 2.8 23.8% $842 Rep
009 Bay Port Pop 474 · 27.5% income · $675 rent · Rep 474 2.8 27.5% $675 Rep
010 Kingston Pop 398 · 30.0% income · $843 rent · Rep 398 3.3 30.0% $843 Rep
011 Akron Pop 336 · 37.5% income · $938 rent · Rep 336 2.8 37.5% $938 Rep
012 Gagetown Pop 311 · 17.2% income · $725 rent · Rep 311 2.8 17.2% $725 Rep
013 Owendale Pop 193 · 21.4% income · $967 rent · Rep 193 2.5 21.4% $967 Rep

County heatmap

Geographic distribution
Local landlord context

One county, multiple regulatory regimes.

Tuscola County lands at 3.1/10 (Low) on the eviction-risk scale, placing it 36th of 83 counties in Michigan eviction laws, where 35 counties carry more risk and 47 are considered more landlord-friendly. For landlords and investors, that middle-of-the-pack position means operating conditions here are workable but not without friction: average rent sits at $786, rent burden runs at 30.4%, and a poverty rate of 17.3% means tenant financial stress is a real underwriting variable across the county's 13 incorporated cities.

The intra-county spread, from 2.5 to 3.4, is narrow in absolute terms but meaningful for portfolio selection. A landlord picking up rentals in the county seat faces materially different conditions than one buying in a quieter village on the county's edge, so city-level diligence matters even within a single county footprint.

The cities inside Tuscola County

Caro, the largest city in the county with a population of 4,290, carries the highest local score at 5.4/10, making it the most elevated-risk market in Tuscola County for landlords. Mayville follows at 3.2/10 (population 1,045), with Vassar at 3.2/10 (population 2,707) and Millington at 2.8/10 (population 1,122) rounding out the higher-risk tier. These communities share an average rent environment around $786 and carry the poverty-rate pressure that elevates late-payment and eviction frequency.

At the other end of the county, Fostoria and Fairgrove both score 2.8/10, and Unionville comes in at 2.9/10. These smaller villages tend to have thinner rental markets, but their lower scores suggest a modestly more stable tenant base relative to Caro and Mayville. Risk is genuinely hyper-local across the county's 13 cities, and averaging across the whole county can mask the gap between a Caro rental and a Fairgrove one.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Tuscola County works under Michigan eviction laws state law, specifically MCL 554.601 et seq. (Landlord-Tenant Relationships). For nonpayment of rent, the notice period is 7 days (MCL 600.5714). A material lease violation or a no-cause termination of a month-to-month tenancy each require 30 days notice (MCL 554.134). A serious or repeat health/safety hazard also triggers a 7-day notice period (MCL 600.5714(c)). Michigan eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so neither just-cause protections nor rent caps apply in Tuscola County.

On cost, the Michigan eviction laws eviction process involves court filing fees of $45 to $150, sheriff lockout fees of $50 to $150, and attorney fees typically ranging from $500 to $2,500. Uncontested cases resolve in roughly 21 to 45 days; contested matters can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Understanding Michigan eviction costs upfront is essential for any investor underwriting deals in this county, and a review of Michigan security deposit limits is equally important given the county's average rent and tenant demographics.

With 25.3% of households renting and a poverty rate of 17.3%, Tuscola County's rental market is smaller and financially stretched relative to many Michigan eviction laws urban counties; review the city grid above to pinpoint where within those 13 cities your specific risk exposure actually falls.

Historical eviction filings in Tuscola County

From 2010 to 2018, eviction filings in Tuscola County increased 5%. The peak was 474 filings in 2012.1

Annual filings 2010–2018 No filing data published after 2018
Annual eviction filings in Tuscola County 2000-2018 (Eviction Lab)2010: 333 filings2011: 432 filings2012: 474 filings2013: 388 filings2014: 341 filings2015: 308 filings2016: 296 filings2017: 323 filings2018: 351 filings

Data covers 2000–2018, the full span of the Princeton Eviction Lab's national county court-records dataset.

How Tuscola County compares

Tuscola County's average eviction-risk score of 3.1/10 places it at rank 36 of 83 Michigan eviction laws counties, meaning 35 counties carry higher risk and 47 are more landlord-friendly. Among its closest peer counties, Tuscola County scores on par with Delta County (5.03) and Roscommon County (5.02), and slightly above Hillsdale County (4.97), Branch County (4.97), and Barry County (4.89), confirming that the county sits firmly in Michigan's middle-risk tier.

The intra-county spread of 2.5 to 3.4 across 13 cities is notable: investors willing to focus on lower-scoring communities like Fostoria or Fairgrove can operate with meaningfully less tenant-side economic stress than in the county seat of Caro at 3.4/10.

Peer counties in Michigan

Same state, closest by population and Eviction Risk Score
Peer county
Wexford County eviction risk
3.1
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 14.3K
Peer county
Mecosta County eviction risk
3.1
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 13.3K
Peer county
Chippewa County eviction risk
3.2
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 16.4K
Peer county
Sanilac County eviction risk
3.1
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 11.9K

Where eviction risk concentrates in Tuscola County

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

Top cities by population

Frequently asked

Frequently asked questions about Tuscola County

Q1

What is the eviction risk range in Tuscola County?

Scores range from 2.5 to 3.4 across 13 cities in Tuscola County. The 3.1 average masks meaningful intra-county variance.
Q2

What is the renter share in Tuscola County?

25.3% of households in Tuscola County are renter-occupied per ACS 2023 5-year estimates.
Q3

What is the average rent in Tuscola County?

Average gross rent across Tuscola County averages $786/month.