Clark County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low

Clark County sits in Missouri's far northeastern corner along the Iowa border, home to 3,283 residents spread across 8 small cities and towns. The county carries a Low eviction risk score of 3.6/10, placing it 40th out of 115 Missouri counties - squarely in the middle third of the state, with 39 counties carrying higher risk scores and 75 sitting below it. That positioning reflects a rural rental market where economic pressures are real but Missouri's landlord-favorable legal framework keeps friction low for property owners.

The county seat of Kahoka (population 2,072) dominates the local rental picture and also carries the county's highest eviction risk score at 3.8/10. Wyaconda follows at 3.3/10, while St. Francisville (3.1/10), Luray (3.2/10), and Alexandria (3.1/10) fill out the middle range. At the opposite end, Wayland (population 439) scores the county's lowest at 3.1/10, and Revere comes in at 3.1/10. The spread from 3.1 to 3.8 is narrow, reflecting that the same underlying economic and legal conditions govern the entire county rather than any sharp urban-rural divide.

Rental economics tell a tight story. Average rent of $507 per month is well below Missouri's urban norms, but an average rent burden of 29.1% of household income suggests renters are not sitting comfortably - nearly a third of renter households are paying at or near the common affordability threshold. 34.5% of households rent rather than own, which is a meaningful renter share for a county this rural, and 13% average poverty rate means a segment of those renters carries little financial cushion against an unexpected income disruption. When rent is $507 but incomes are constrained, even a modest shortfall can trigger the eviction process. Under RSMo § 535.010, a Missouri landlord can file a rent-and-possession action with no advance notice period - the complaint can be filed the same day rent is due and unpaid. Court filing fees run $70 to $180, and an uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested case stretches to 45 to 120 days. Sheriff lockout fees range from $40 to $150, and attorney costs for landlords typically run $500 to $3,000 depending on complexity. Missouri imposes no rent cap and no just-cause requirement for eviction - a landlord can terminate a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days notice under RSMo § 441.060 for any reason or no reason at all, and the state's preemption statute bars local governments from adopting rent control ordinances. For renters in Clark County, the absence of these protections means a landlord's decision to end a tenancy or raise rent is largely unrestricted, so the practical risk of displacement rests almost entirely on a household's ability to stay current.

Clark County's Low risk score reflects a combination of modest rent levels, Missouri eviction laws's landlord-friendly statutes under RSMo § 441, and a small rural population where eviction filings remain infrequent in absolute terms - though individual households facing the process have limited statutory protections to lean on.