Greene County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Very Low

Greene County scores an average of 2.4/10 (Low risk) across its 7 cities, but that headline figure masks meaningful variation on the ground. With an intra-county range from 2 to 2.5, landlords and investors choosing between Springfield's urban core and the county's smaller satellite communities are effectively operating in different risk environments. Ranked 35 of 115 Missouri eviction laws counties, Greene County sits in the higher-risk third of the state, meaning 34 counties carry greater eviction exposure and 80 are more landlord-friendly. That context matters when underwriting acquisitions or setting portfolio strategy across Missouri.

The county's fundamentals tell a nuanced story. Average rent runs $979 per month against an average rent burden of 28.5% of income, and roughly 51.7% of the county population are renters. A poverty rate of 18.1% is elevated, which contributes to the eviction pressure visible in the riskier smaller cities. For a landlord-friendly read, Springfield eviction risk dominates by sheer size, but outlying communities demand a closer look before committing capital.

The cities inside Greene County

Springfield, with a population of 169,954, anchors the county at a score of 2.8/10, the lowest in Greene County. That relatively favorable profile reflects the city's scale, a more diversified tenant pool, and the operational depth available in a larger market. Investors managing multiple units or building portfolios will find Springfield the most predictable environment in the county.

On the other end of the spectrum, Republic (population 19,829) and Fair Grove (population 1,717) both score 2.3/10, the highest readings in the county. Strafford (population 2,672) comes in at 2.4/10, with Ash Grove at 2.4/10, Battlefield at 2/10, and Willard at 2.2/10. The smaller communities cluster in the 3.4 to 4.1 band, a 0.7-point range that represents a real difference in eviction frequency and tenant risk relative to Springfield. Risk in Greene County is genuinely hyper-local, and aggregate county averages should never substitute for city-level due diligence.

State-level laws that apply here

Missouri eviction laws law under RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant) sets the procedural framework for every Greene County eviction. For nonpayment of rent, Missouri eviction laws requires no advance notice 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. Understanding the Missouri eviction laws eviction process in full is essential before serving any notice, because the filing sequence and timing rules are strict. Uncontested cases resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested matters can run 45 to 120 days.

Total eviction costs in Missouri eviction laws span a wide range. Court filing fees run $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $150, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $3,000, meaning a single eviction action can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars unrepresented to well over three thousand with counsel. Missouri eviction laws imposes no just-cause requirement before terminating a tenancy, and state law preempts any local rent control ordinance, so no municipality in Greene County can cap rents independently. Landlords researching Missouri eviction costs or Missouri security deposit limits will find those statewide rules apply uniformly across every city in the county.

With 18.1% of residents below the poverty line and renters making up more than half the population, the income stress across Greene County is real, and city-level scores in the grid above give the most actionable picture of where that pressure concentrates.