In court-decided eviction outcomes for Duluth, MN, tenants prevail in roughly 28.0% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation — landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
101d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Duluth, MN until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 101 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$4.5–10.0k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Duluth, MN costs landlords $4,489 to $10,027 all-in — court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,087
32% stretched on rent
Median gross rent in Duluth, MN is $1,087 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 32% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent — the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
40.6%
of households
40.6% of occupied housing units in Duluth, MN are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
17.2%
4.8% unemp.
17.2% of Duluth, MN residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.8%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
Dem margin +13.7% (2024)
6.5
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
5.5
State political climate
Minnesota legislature & governorship
7.0
Economic stress
17.2% poverty · 4.8% unemp.
5.5
Supply constraint
$1,087 average · 40.6% renters
5.0
Rent Control risk
31.8% of income on rent
3.5
Eviction process difficulty
101 days filing → judgment
5.5
Tenant organizing strength
40.6% renters
5.5
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.0
Geographic context
Risk heat across Duluth and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Duluth compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in St. Louis County
Very High
#2of 28 cities
#2 of 28 cities in St. Louis County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Minnesota
Very High
#33of 909 cities
#33 of 909 cities in Minnesota for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.6
/ 10 · ELEVATED
The verdict
A Elevated-tier market.
Composite 5.6/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+3.0 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
101d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,087/mo. A contested eviction takes 101 days and costs $4,489–$10,027 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
40.6%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 87,093 residents, 40.6% rent. 32% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 17.2% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.0
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.5 and 5.5 (Dem margin +13.7% (2024)). State climate at 7.0 — tenant-leaning legislature.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
7.0
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 7.0/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies — and shows up in process. Eviction process difficulty reads 5.5, housing court bias 5.0, rent-control risk 3.5. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.5 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.5
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.5. Supply constraint: 5.0. The numbers behind those: 17.2% poverty, 4.8% unemployment, 32% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Duluth sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Duluth · 101d · ~$7.3k all-in ($72/day) · score 5.6National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Duluth, Minnesota, presents an elevated-friction market where documented notices and proactive screening matter. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.6/10 (ELEVATED tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above — covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Elevated-friction market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Duluth is a city of 87,093 residents where 40.6% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 31.8% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,087/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing — a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Duluth eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5.5/10 — a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Duluth closes 101 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Duluth's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.0/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Duluth runs $4,489 to $10,027 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice — common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 101 days of typical timeline and $1,087/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 5.5/10 in Duluth, and the city has limited rent control exposure (3.5/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5–3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks — but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Minnesota, deposit cap and refund window are statute — exceed at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Duluth: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a ELEVATED tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one — retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Minnesota's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $10,027 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Duluth
Trap · 40.6%
40.6% renter share against 87,093 residents produces roughly 35,377 rental occupants in Duluth. Carlton County voted D 1.5% in 2020. Eviction filings tend to cluster in the multifamily rental corridor.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, state-level (no county tracker available). Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 2,011 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area — 1.03× the historical baseline (near baseline). Past 12 months: 26,070 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 113,788.
2,011Past month
26,070Past 12 months
1.03×vs baseline (past mo)
11.5%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: no advance notice (in the case of nonpayment of rent). Filing fee: minimum filing fee of $310.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 — 2026-04-01
Filings stayed roughly flat over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant for having too many guests in Duluth?
It depends on your lease. If your lease clearly defines occupancy limits or rules about long-term guests and the tenant violates it, you can issue a notice to cure or quit. If they don't fix the issue, you can proceed with an eviction. Make sure your lease is specific.
Q2
What if my Duluth tenant files for bankruptcy during the eviction?
If your tenant files for bankruptcy, it immediately stops (stays) most collection actions, including evictions. You cannot proceed without getting relief from the bankruptcy court. This is a complex legal issue, and you absolutely need an attorney if this happens. Do not try to continue the eviction yourself.
Q3
Do I have to accept partial rent payments in Minnesota?
No, you are not obligated to accept partial payments if the tenant is overdue. Accepting a partial payment after issuing a 14-day notice can sometimes "waive" your right to evict based on that specific notice, meaning you might have to issue a new one. If you do accept a partial payment, get a written agreement stating it does not waive your right to pursue eviction for the remaining balance.
Q4
Can I raise the rent in Duluth? Are there rent control rules?
Minnesota does not have statewide rent control, and there are no rent control ordinances currently in Duluth. You can raise the rent, but you must provide proper notice, typically 30 days for a month-to-month tenancy, before the increase takes effect. Review Minnesota rent control rules for more details.
Q5
What's the best way to handle a tenant who leaves personal property behind after moving out?
Minnesota law has specific rules for handling abandoned property. You generally need to store the property and provide written notice to the tenant, giving them a reasonable amount of time (often 28 days) to retrieve it. If they don't claim it, you can dispose of it or sell it. Document everything carefully. Do not just throw their stuff out immediately; it can lead to legal liability.
A 5.6/10 places Duluth in the 96th percentile of Minnesota cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1–10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has risen sharply since 1976 — a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Duluth (5.6/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
