Nobles County, Minnesota Eviction Risk: Moderate

Nobles County, Minnesota eviction laws carries a county-wide average eviction-risk score of 4.7/10, placing it in the Low risk tier and ranking it 81st of 87 Minnesota counties, meaning 80 counties are riskier for landlords and only 6 are less risky. For investors evaluating southwest Minnesota eviction laws rental markets, that ranking reflects a genuinely landlord-favorable operating environment: average rent of $935, a rent-burden rate of 23.5%, and a renter share of 30.2% across a county population of 17,638 combine to produce conditions that are relatively stable compared to most of the state.

Risk scores across the county's 10 cities span a range of 4.3 to 5.1, a one-point spread that matters in practice. Even within a low-risk county, the difference between a 2.8 market and a 3.9 market represents meaningfully different exposure to delinquency, vacancy, and slow-pay tenants. Landlords who treat Nobles County as a single homogeneous market will miss that variation entirely.

The cities inside Nobles County

The highest-risk location in the county is Ellsworth, scoring 4.3/10, followed by a cluster of four cities, Worthington, Rushmore, Wilmont, and Lismore, each scoring 4.7/10. Worthington is by far the largest market, with a population of 13,780, which means the bulk of the county's rental inventory sits at that 3.6 risk level. Ellsworth, at 428 residents, is a smaller market but carries the county's highest score, so landlords active there should underwrite accordingly.

On the lower end, Bigelow scores 4.9/10 (population 297) and Adrian scores 4.3/10 (population 1,236), representing the most landlord-favorable conditions in the county. Brewster comes in at 4.6/10 and Round Lake at 4.7/10. The practical takeaway is that risk in Nobles County is hyper-local: a landlord with units in Worthington and Bigelow is effectively operating in two distinct risk environments even though both sit within the same county lines.

State-level laws that apply here

Every rental in Nobles County is governed by Minnesota eviction laws state law, specifically Minn. Stat. § 504B (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, Minn. Stat. § 504B.291 requires a 14-day notice before filing. A material lease violation or end of a month-to-month tenancy triggers a 30-day notice under Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Understanding the full Minnesota eviction laws eviction process matters here because uncontested cases typically resolve in 30 to 60 days, while contested proceedings can run 60 to 150 days, and that timeline drives total holding cost. Court filing fees run $310 to $410, sheriff lockout fees add $55 to $150, and attorney fees range from $750 to $3,000 depending on case complexity. For a full breakdown of what landlords pay out of pocket, see the Minnesota eviction costs guide.

Minnesota eviction laws does not impose statewide rent control (no rent cap formula applies), and just-cause eviction is not required under state law, leaving landlords with meaningful flexibility on lease renewals. Minnesota security deposit limits and related tenant-protection rules are set at the state level and apply uniformly across Nobles County, so landlords should confirm current requirements under Minn. Stat. § 504B before placing tenants.

With a poverty rate of 14.2% and roughly 30.2% of residents renting, Nobles County carries moderate underlying economic stress, but its low-risk ranking relative to Minnesota as a whole suggests that stress has not translated into the elevated delinquency patterns seen in higher-scoring counties; review the city grid above to identify which specific markets best match your risk tolerance.