Crawford County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Very Low

Crawford County sits in the Ozark foothills of south-central Missouri, home to roughly 7,928 residents spread across six tracked cities. The county carries a Low eviction risk score of 2.4/10 and ranks 52nd out of 115 Missouri counties, placing it squarely in the middle third of the state - 51 counties post higher risk, and 63 post lower risk. That middle-tier position reflects a landlord environment that is neither unusually aggressive nor unusually tenant-protective.

The rental market here is modest by any measure. Average rent runs $718 per month, and the average rent burden sits at 25.5% of household income - below the 30% threshold that housing researchers typically flag as financially stressful. Even so, 20.4% of residents fall below the poverty line, which means a meaningful share of renters are operating with very little financial cushion when a rent dispute or lease termination arises. Renter households account for 48.1% of occupied units, a share high enough that eviction outcomes touch nearly half the county's residential base. The county's six tracked cities range from a score of 2/10 in Cuba (the largest city, population 3,189) to 2.8/10 in Steelville, Indian Lake, and Leasburg. Bourbon, with 1,636 residents, comes in at 2.2/10. The gap between the highest and lowest city scores is narrow - only 0.8 points - which signals a fairly uniform legal and economic environment across the county rather than isolated pockets of elevated pressure.

Missouri governs landlord-tenant relations primarily through RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant). The state offers landlords a relatively swift path to removing nonpaying tenants: a rent-and-possession action under RSMo § 535.010 requires no advance written notice before filing, making it one of the more immediate nonpayment remedies in the region. A material lease violation triggers a 10-day notice under RSMo § 441.060, and a month-to-month termination requires 30 days. Once filed, an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested hearing can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Court filing fees run $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees add another $40 to $150, and attorney costs range from $500 to $3,000 depending on case complexity. Missouri also preempts local rent control, so no Crawford County municipality can cap rents or impose just-cause eviction requirements beyond state baseline - there is no just-cause requirement under current state law, and source-of-income protections are not recognized statewide. The habitability standard is codified at RSMo § 441.500, and retaliation protections appear at RSMo § 441.020. Fair housing complaints route to the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.

Scores reflect Crawford County's average across 6 cities, weighted by renter population, using the Eviction Risk Map composite model. Individual city pages carry tract-level detail where Census data is sufficient.