Cass County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Very Low

Cass County scores 2.4/10 (Very Low) for eviction risk, averaged across 20 cities in this Missouri county south of Kansas City. That composite number masks a meaningful spread: individual city scores run from 1.8 to 2.9, which means your exposure as a landlord depends heavily on which submarket you choose. With a county-wide average rent of $1,225 and a rent burden of 29.7%, tenants here are not severely cost-pressed by state standards, and the 7% poverty rate is low enough to limit the pool of chronically distressed renters. For investors comparing suburban markets, Cass County sits in the higher-risk third of Missouri's 115 counties, ranking 8th of 115, meaning only 7 counties in the state carry more risk.

That ranking deserves context: a 2.4/10 Low score in an 8th-place slot reflects how concentrated Missouri's elevated risk is at the top of the distribution. Operating conditions here are genuinely manageable compared to most of the state, though landlords choosing the denser, faster-growing northern cities should expect conditions closer to those found in mid-tier urban Missouri markets.

The cities inside Cass County

The highest-risk city in the county is Lake Annette, scoring 2.9/10 with a population of 25,008. It is also the largest city in Cass County, which matters for portfolio concentration decisions: the market is deep enough to fill units quickly, but it carries the county's highest friction profile. Raymore, the second-largest city at 24,526 residents, comes in at 3.9/10, also in the elevated range for this county. Both cities sit along the county's northern edge and draw renters commuting to the Kansas City eviction risk metro, which supports demand but also brings the tenant-protection expectations associated with that metro influence.

Risk drops as you move toward the county's smaller and more rural communities. Harrisonville, the county seat at 9,970 residents, scores 3.6/10. Garden City, at 1,742 residents, posts the county's lowest score at 2.5/10, representing the most landlord-favorable operating environment in Cass County. Lake Winnebago scores 1.8/10. The variation between 2.5 and 4.1 across the county's 20 cities underscores that eviction risk is hyper-local here; a landlord operating in Belton eviction risk faces materially different conditions than one operating in Garden City, even within the same county legal framework.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Cass County operate under Missouri state law, primarily RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, Missouri does not require a written notice period before filing a rent-and-possession action under RSMo § 535.010, making it one of the faster entry points in the Midwest. A material lease violation triggers a 10-day notice under RSMo § 441.060, and ending a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days under the same statute. The Missouri eviction process runs 21 to 45 days uncontested and 45 to 120 days if contested. Court filing fees range from $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,000, depending on case complexity. For a full breakdown, see the Missouri eviction costs guide.

Missouri has no rent control and no just-cause eviction requirement; state law preempts any local attempt to impose rent caps. Source of income is not a protected class under Missouri state law. Missouri security deposit limits and Missouri tenant protections are governed at the state level, with no Cass County-specific overlay. The Missouri Commission on Human Rights enforces fair housing. For investors comparing this state's framework to others, the statutory environment is among the more landlord-permissive in the central United States.

With a 7% poverty rate and 31% of residents renting, Cass County's fundamentals support stable landlord operations across most of its 20 cities; see the city grid above to compare scores individually before committing to a specific submarket.