Benton County, Mississippi Eviction Risk: Very Low

Benton County, Mississippi scores 3.5/10 on the eviction risk index, a Low rating that places this rural northern Mississippi county in the lower-risk third of the state. At rank 59 of 82 counties, 58 Mississippi counties carry higher eviction risk, and only 23 are more landlord-friendly, making Benton County a relatively stable operating environment. With a total tracked population of 1,624 across 4 cities, the rental market here is small, but that compactness also limits exposure to the tenant-stress factors that drive claims and disputes in larger metros.

Conditions across the county are consistent but not uniform. Individual city scores range from 2.4 to 3.8, a 1.4-point spread that matters at the property level. Average rent sits at $720 per month, and the average rent burden is 23.7% of household income, which is comparatively moderate and suggests renters here are not, on average, stretched to the edge. That said, a 22.2% poverty rate reminds landlords that the population carries real financial vulnerability, and even modest income disruptions can translate into delinquency.

The cities inside Benton County

Hickory Flat is the highest-risk municipality in the county at 3.8/10, with a population of 544. It is the only city in Benton County pushing toward the mid-range threshold, and landlords acquiring units there should price in a somewhat higher probability of collections pressure or turnover relative to county peers. Ashland, the county seat, scores 3.4/10 with a population of 657, making it the largest and roughly middle-risk community in the county. The mix of population size and moderate risk makes Ashland the most relevant single market for buy-and-hold investors evaluating the county.

Snow Lake Shores comes in at 3.3/10 (population 384), while Lamar, the smallest community at just 39 residents, registers the lowest risk in the county at 2.4/10. The range from Lamar to Hickory Flat illustrates that even within a single low-risk county, hyper-local conditions vary enough to shift underwriting assumptions, and street-level due diligence still applies.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Benton County operates under Mississippi state law, primarily Miss. Code § 89-8 (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment, the required notice period is 3 days. A lease-violation cure notice requires 14 days, and a no-cause end-of-tenancy notice requires 30 days. Understanding the full Mississippi eviction process matters here because even an uncontested case takes an estimated 30 to 60 days, while contested proceedings can run 60 to 120 days. Court filing fees range from $75 to $150, sheriff lockout fees from $30 to $120, and attorney fees typically fall between $500 and $2,500, meaning total out-of-pocket costs for a litigated removal can vary substantially. Landlords should also review Mississippi eviction costs carefully before acquiring assets here, as a prolonged contested case can consume several months of rent at the county's $720 average.

Mississippi does not require just cause for termination, and state law preempts any local rent control ordinance, so no Benton County municipality can impose rent caps or add cause-for-eviction requirements beyond what state statute provides. Source of income is not a protected class under Mississippi fair housing rules, and no retaliation statute appears in the state code. These landlord-favorable structural conditions are part of what keeps the county in the lower-risk tier.

With a 23.6% renter share and a 22.2% poverty rate, Benton County's rental pool is small and economically mixed; the city-level grid above breaks down the score for each of the county's 4 cities so landlords can target acquisitions at the specific risk level that fits their portfolio.