Hickory County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low

Hickory County sits in the higher-risk third of Missouri eviction laws's 115 counties, landing at rank 10 with an average eviction risk score of 2.6/10 - a Low rating that nonetheless reflects real financial stress for the county's 2,212 residents. The county seat of Hermitage carries the highest local score at 2.8/10, followed by Cross Timbers at 2.7/10. Those readings are driven in part by a 34.4% poverty rate and an average rent burden of 33.1% - meaning the typical renting household in Hickory County spends roughly a third of gross income on housing costs that average $589 per month.

Missouri eviction laws landlord-tenant law under RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant) governs every lease in the county. There is no just-cause requirement for terminating a tenancy, no local rent control ordinance (state law preempts any municipality from enacting one), and source-of-income is not a protected class under Missouri eviction laws fair housing rules enforced by the Missouri eviction laws Commission on Human Rights. For nonpayment cases, RSMo § 535.010 allows a rent-and-possession action with immediate notice - no cure period is mandated before filing. Material lease violations require a 10-day notice under RSMo § 441.060, and month-to-month tenancies require 30 days' notice under the same statute. Court filing fees run $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $150, and attorney costs typically fall between $500 and $3,000 depending on whether the case is contested. An uncontested eviction in Hickory County typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; contested cases can stretch to 45 to 120 days.

Renter share sits at 33.1% of households - a notable portion of the county's rental market is concentrated in Hermitage (population 734) and Weaubleau (population 521), with smaller rental pools in Cross Timbers (379), Preston (331), and Wheatland (247). The poverty rate of 34.4% is a key driver behind the elevated rent burden: when household incomes are constrained, even a relatively low average rent of $589 can represent a disproportionate share of take-home pay. Landlords operating in this market should weigh that economic reality against the state's streamlined eviction procedures - Missouri eviction laws's framework is among the more landlord-accessible in the Midwest, but the underlying financial fragility of the renter population means that payment disruptions can escalate quickly and collections after judgment may be limited.

Scores across Hickory County's five tracked cities range from a low of 2.3/10 in Weaubleau and Wheatland to a high of 2.8/10 in Hermitage, a narrow band that reflects the county's relatively uniform economic profile rather than sharp intra-county variation in legal risk.