Dunklin County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low

Dunklin County scores 3.8/10 (Low) on the eviction-risk index, placing it in the middle third of Missouri eviction laws's 115 counties, ranked 46 of 115 statewide. That ranking means 45 counties carry higher eviction risk and 69 are more landlord-friendly, so Dunklin County sits neither at the safe end of the spectrum nor among the state's most troubled markets. Across the county's 13 cities, risk scores span a meaningful 3.1 to 4.5 range, which tells investors that county-level averages can obscure very different operating realities depending on exactly which community a property sits in.

With an average rent of $636, a rent-burden rate of 27.3%, and a renter share of 42.9%, the county serves a predominantly working-class tenant base. Demand for rentals is real, but a poverty rate of 23.4% means a meaningful share of tenants face financial fragility. Landlords operating here should price and screen with that reality in mind, and should know Missouri state law well before committing capital to the market.

The cities inside Dunklin County

Kennett is the county seat and by far the largest city, home to roughly 10,196 residents and carrying the county's highest risk score at 3.8/10. It is the primary rental market in Dunklin County, and its elevated score relative to the county average reflects the concentration of lower-income renters in the urban core. Malden, the county's second-largest city at 3,805 residents, scores 4.1/10, meaningfully higher than most smaller communities in the area. Hornersville scores 3.7/10, and smaller communities such as Campbell and Senath land at 4/10 and 3.8/10 respectively, the latter being among the county's most landlord-favorable environments.

Risk is genuinely hyper-local here. The spread from a 1.8 floor to a 3 ceiling across 13 cities means that an investor choosing between Kennett and a smaller surrounding town is effectively choosing between two materially different risk environments, even though they share the same county and the same state statutes. Due diligence at the city level matters more than the county average suggests.

State-level laws that apply here

Under Missouri eviction laws state law (RSMo § 441, Landlord and Tenant), landlords have relatively lean procedural requirements compared to many states. For nonpayment of rent, Missouri eviction laws requires no advance notice period before filing a rent-and-possession action under RSMo § 535.010. A material lease violation triggers a 10-day notice under RSMo § 441.060, and ending a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days notice under the same statute. Missouri eviction laws does not require just cause for non-renewal, and the state preempts local rent control ordinances, so no city-level rent cap applies anywhere in Dunklin County. For a full walkthrough of the process, see the Missouri eviction laws eviction process guide.

On the cost side, court filing fees run $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $150, and attorney fees typically fall in the $500 to $3,000 range depending on complexity. An uncontested case resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can take 45 to 120 days. Landlords budgeting for worst-case scenarios should review Missouri eviction costs carefully before acquiring property in markets with higher poverty rates like Kennett.

With 23.4% of residents below the poverty line and 42.9% of households renting, financial stress is a structural feature of Dunklin County's rental market, not an anomaly; the city-by-city grid above breaks down exactly where that stress is most and least concentrated across the county's 13 cities.