Cook County, Minnesota Eviction Risk: Moderate

Cook County sits along Minnesota's northeastern Lake Superior shoreline and, with a total population of 2,018, ranks among the state's smallest counties by headcount. Its two tracked cities - Grand Marais (population 1,796, score 4.8/10) and Lutsen (population 222, score 5.2/10) - together define a rental market that the Eviction Risk Map rates Moderate at 4.8/10. That places Cook County 30th out of 87 Minnesota eviction laws counties, meaning 29 counties carry higher risk for landlords and 57 are more landlord-friendly. The county sits squarely in the middle third of the state, neither among the most protected tenant jurisdictions nor among the most permissive.

The rental cost picture here is relatively affordable by statewide standards. Average rent runs $912 per month, and the average rent burden - the share of household income consumed by housing costs - sits at 30.9%. That burden figure is close to the conventional 30% affordability threshold, which means a meaningful share of renters in Grand Marais and Lutsen are operating with little financial cushion. About 37.6% of county households rent rather than own, and the average poverty rate across the county is 10.6%. These figures combine to produce a moderate but genuine eviction risk profile: not crisis-level, but enough that landlords should expect occasional nonpayment filings and should understand the statutory timeline before initiating proceedings.

Minnesota eviction laws's landlord-tenant law falls under Minn. Stat. § 504B (Landlord and Tenant), which applies uniformly across all 87 counties including Cook. A nonpayment of rent eviction requires a 14-day notice under Minn. Stat. § 504B.291 before a court filing can proceed. Material lease violations and month-to-month terminations each require a 30-day notice under Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Court filing fees range from $310 to $410, and if a sheriff lockout is needed after judgment, that adds $55 to $150. Attorney fees for a contested case typically run $750 to $3,000. Uncontested cases resolve in 30 to 60 days; contested matters can stretch 60 to 150 days. Landlords should also note that Minnesota prohibits retaliation under Minn. Stat. § 504B.441 and imposes a habitability duty under Minn. Stat. § 504B.161 - both are active enforcement points in MN Housing Court. Source of income is a protected class under state law, enforced by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, meaning Section 8 voucher status cannot be used as a screening disqualifier. Cook County itself has no local rent control ordinance, and Minnesota does not preempt local rent control at the state level, though no Cook County municipality has enacted one.

Cook County's Moderate score reflects a small, seasonal rental market in a remote North Shore setting, where a 30.9% average rent burden and 10.6% poverty rate create a meaningful - though not extreme - nonpayment risk against a backdrop of Minnesota eviction laws's tenant-protective Minn. Stat. § 504B framework.