Bates County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low

Bates County sits in western Missouri with a total population of 8,626 spread across 9 municipalities. Its average eviction risk score of 2.7/10 puts it in the Low tier - but that ranking comes with an important caveat: at 4th highest out of 115 Missouri counties, only three counties statewide score worse for tenants. Landlords operating here face a legal environment that tilts firmly in their favor, and the underlying economic stress on renters is real. Average rent runs $825/month, renters carry an average rent burden of 31.2% of income, and 29.6% of residents fall below the poverty line - figures that leave little financial cushion when a payment dispute arises.

The county seat, Butler (population 4,668), scores 2.9/10 and accounts for more than half the county's residents. It is joined at the top of the risk range by the small community of Passaic, also at 2.9/10. Adrian (population 1,857) and Rich Hill (population 1,453) sit in the mid-range at 2.6/10 and 2.4/10 respectively, while Foster, the smallest tracked city at 65 residents, records the county's floor score of 2/10. The 0.9-point spread from floor to ceiling - 2/10 to 2.9/10 - reflects relatively consistent landlord-favorable conditions across all 9 cities rather than isolated pockets of elevated risk.

Missouri's eviction framework under RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant) is among the more creditor-oriented in the Midwest. There is no just-cause requirement to terminate a tenancy and no rent control at any level - state law explicitly preempts local rent control ordinances, so no Bates County municipality can enact its own cap. For nonpayment of rent, landlords may file a rent-and-possession action with no advance notice period under RSMo § 535.010; a lease violation triggers a 10-day cure-or-vacate under RSMo § 441.060; and ending a month-to-month tenancy requires only 30 days' notice under the same statute. Court filing fees run $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $150, and uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days. Contested matters stretch to 45 to 120 days with attorney costs ranging $500 to $3,000. The habitability floor is set by RSMo § 441.500 and retaliation protections fall under RSMo § 441.020, but source-of-income is not a protected class in Missouri, so voucher holders carry no additional shield. Fair housing complaints route through the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.

Bates County's Low score reflects Missouri eviction laws's landlord-favorable statute baseline more than any particular local policy - the county has no rent cap, no just-cause ordinance, and no local tenant-protection layer that would raise the score above the state floor.