Camden County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Very Low

Camden County scores 2.4/10 (Low risk) across its 10 cities, placing it 28th of 115 Missouri counties on the eviction-risk index, meaning 27 counties carry more landlord risk and 87 are less risky. That ranking puts Camden County in the higher-risk third of Missouri overall, a fact worth weighing against the county's lake-country reputation. The county average rent of $958 and an average rent burden of 27.6% reflect a tenant base that is generally paying a manageable share of income toward housing, though an 18.6% poverty rate signals that a meaningful portion of renters operate with thin financial margins. Scores span 1.7 to 2.6 across the county, so the aggregate number masks real variation between individual markets.

For landlords and investors evaluating Missouri lake-area properties, the broad Low designation is encouraging but not uniform. Operating conditions here are shaped by modest rent levels, a mixed tenant income picture, and a legal framework that, on paper, is among the more straightforward in the state. The statutory ground rules, covered below, are an important part of why this county stays in the lower-risk tier despite the poverty rate.

The cities inside Camden County

The highest-risk market in the county is Osage Beach at 2.6/10, the county seat and second-largest city with a population of 4,023. Linn Creek follows at 2.6/10. Camdenton and Linn Creek are the two cities where landlords should conduct the most careful tenant screening and maintain tighter cash reserves for potential vacancies. Osage Beach, the county's largest city at 4,905 residents, sits at the county average of 2.4/10, making it a mid-tier risk market relative to Camden County peers.

On the lower end of the range, Village of Four Seasons (2,252 residents) scores 2.3/10, and Stoutland scores just 2.6/10, the most landlord-favorable reading in the county. Montreal and Climax Springs both come in at 2/10. That spread from 2.4 to 3.4 within a single county underscores that risk here is genuinely hyper-local: a landlord holding units in Stoutland faces a materially different operating environment than one concentrated in Camdenton, even though both properties fall under the same state statutes.

State-level laws that apply here

Missouri law (RSMo § 441, Landlord and Tenant) sets the procedural floor for every Camden County eviction. For nonpayment of rent, Missouri allows a rent-and-possession action with no advance notice period under RSMo § 535.010, one of the fastest triggers in the country. Lease violations require a 10-day notice under RSMo § 441.060, and ending a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days notice. Once filed, an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; contested matters stretch to 45 to 120 days. Cost components run $70 to $180 for the court filing fee, $40 to $150 for the sheriff lockout, and $500 to $3,000 for attorney fees if you retain counsel. Understanding the full Missouri eviction process before you place a tenant is essential for accurate cash-flow modeling.

Missouri does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Camden County cities cannot impose caps on rent increases. Source-of-income status is not a protected class under Missouri state law. Landlords researching Missouri eviction costs will find the statutory fee ranges above are among the lower-end figures nationally, which is a structural advantage for Camden County operators compared with higher-cost states. Missouri security deposit limits and Missouri tenant protections, both covered in the statewide guides, round out the legal picture every investor should review before closing on a property here.

With 33.5% of residents renting and a poverty rate of 18.6%, Camden County's tenant pool is sizable but financially mixed, making city-level scores in the grid above the most actionable starting point for pinpointing where your risk exposure actually falls.