Carlton County, Minnesota Eviction Risk: Moderate

Carlton County, Minnesota eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 5/10 (Moderate), placing it in the higher-risk third of the state: 24 of Minnesota eviction laws's 87 counties score worse, while 62 are more landlord-friendly. For an investor evaluating this market, that positioning signals a county where tenant-side stress factors, rent burden, and vacancy pressure are meaningfully elevated compared to the state's typical small-county baseline. With average rent at $1,019 per month and an average rent burden of 29.6% of income, a sizable share of the renter pool is financially stretched, which correlates with higher late-payment frequency and, ultimately, eviction filings.

What the county average obscures is the spread underneath it. Across 14 incorporated cities and communities, individual scores range from 3.3/10 to 5.2/10, a nearly two-point band that separates materially different operating environments. Landlords who judge Carlton County as a single market are likely misreading either their best opportunities or their real exposure.

The cities inside Carlton County

The single highest-risk jurisdiction in the county is Cloquet, which scores 5/10 and is by far the county's largest city at a population of 12,537. Because Cloquet accounts for the bulk of the county's rental stock, its elevated score pulls the county average up considerably. Several other communities cluster at 5/10, including Moose Lake (population 2,863), Mahnomen, Barnum, and Wright, suggesting that moderate risk is the norm across most of the county's population centers.

The clearest contrast is Cromwell, which posts the county's lowest score at 4.4/10 and a population of 1,813. Esko's profile suggests a tighter, more financially stable renter base and a correspondingly lower probability of eviction filings. Scanlon and Mahtowa both sit at 5.2/10, representing a middle tier. The takeaway for investors is straightforward: risk here is hyper-local, and a single acquisition decision in Cloquet versus Esko can mean operating in very different environments, even though they share the same county courthouse and the same state statutes.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Carlton County works under Minnesota eviction laws state law, principally Minn. Stat. § 504B (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, the required notice period is 14 days under Minn. Stat. § 504B.291. For a material lease violation or to end a month-to-month tenancy, the notice period is 30 days under Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Minnesota eviction laws does not require just cause for non-renewal, and there is no statewide rent cap, which gives landlords meaningful flexibility on pricing and lease decisions. Landlords must provide 24 hours notice before entering an occupied unit under state law.

Understanding the Minnesota eviction laws eviction process matters here because timelines can run long. An uncontested case resolves in roughly 30 to 60 days; a contested proceeding can stretch to 60 to 150 days. Court filing fees range from $310 to $410, sheriff lockout fees from $55 to $150, and attorney fees commonly range from $750 to $3,000, so a contested case can easily cost a landlord several thousand dollars before accounting for lost rent. Reviewing Minnesota eviction costs before underwriting a Carlton County deal is essential to realistic cash-flow modeling.

With a poverty rate averaging 16% across the county and roughly 31.2% of households renting, Carlton County carries a renter pool that leans toward economically vulnerable households; the city-level grid above breaks down where that vulnerability concentrates and where conditions are more stable.