Big Stone County, Minnesota Eviction Risk: Moderate

Big Stone County sits along Minnesota's western border with South Dakota, covering a sparsely populated stretch of prairie and glacial lakes with a total population of 2,996. The county earns a 4.1/10 Moderate eviction risk rating on our scale and ranks 23rd out of 87 Minnesota counties - placing it in the higher-risk third of the state. That means 22 counties carry more eviction pressure, while 64 are more landlord-friendly. For a county of this size, that position reflects real structural tension between a constrained rental market and tenant-protection statutes that extend well beyond what many rural landlords expect from state law.

The rental market here is tight in ways that complicate lease management. Average rent runs $733 per month - modest by statewide standards, but set against an average rent burden of 28.9% of household income and a poverty rate of 13.9%, a meaningful share of renters are operating close to the financial edge. Roughly 25.2% of Big Stone County residents are renters, concentrated almost entirely in the county seat of Ortonville (population 2,028, score 4/10) and the next-largest community, Graceville (population 564, score 4.5/10). Smaller communities including Clinton (score 4/10), Odessa (3.4/10), Johnson (3.2/10), and Barry (3.2/10) round out the county's six tracked cities. Barry shows the lowest individual score in the county at 3.2/10, while Ortonville and Clinton tie for the highest at 4/10.

Minnesota's landlord-tenant framework under Minn. Stat. § 504B (Landlord and Tenant) governs every lease in Big Stone County, and it leans toward tenant protections in several ways that matter operationally. Landlords must give 24 hours' notice before entering a unit under Minn. Stat. § 504B.161, which also codifies the implied warranty of habitability. Retaliation protections under Minn. Stat. § 504B.441 apply statewide, and source-of-income discrimination is prohibited, meaning housing vouchers cannot be refused as a basis for tenancy. Nonpayment of rent requires a 14-day notice under Minn. Stat. § 504B.291 before filing can proceed; lease violations and month-to-month terminations each require 30 days' notice under Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Court filing fees run $310 to $410, with sheriff lockout fees adding $55 to $150. Attorney costs for contested cases range from $750 to $3,000, and uncontested evictions typically resolve in 30 to 60 days - though contested cases can stretch to 150 days. There is no local rent control ordinance in Big Stone County, and the state does not currently preempt local rent regulation. Landlords operating here should treat the state statute as a floor, not a ceiling, and ensure notice procedures are followed precisely - courts in rural Minnesota counties have limited tolerance for procedural shortcuts.

Big Stone County's Moderate risk score reflects a combination of statewide tenant-protection statutes, a rent burden above 28%, and a poverty rate approaching 14% - factors that increase the probability of nonpayment events and extend the time and cost to resolve them when they occur.