New Madrid County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Very Low

New Madrid County sits in the boot heel of southeastern Missouri with a total population of 9,535 spread across 14 incorporated places. Its county-wide eviction risk score of 2.3/10 places it in the Low category - rank 60 out of 115 Missouri eviction laws counties, meaning 59 counties carry higher risk and 55 are more landlord-favorable. That middle-of-the-pack position reflects a rental market under genuine economic stress without the tenant-protection infrastructure that drives scores higher in metro counties.

Renters make up 40.4% of occupied housing units here, a share high enough that landlord decisions ripple through a large fraction of the local population. Average monthly rent of $713 sounds modest by statewide standards, but the average rent burden sits at 30.4% of household income - right at the threshold housing economists flag as a stress zone. Combined with a poverty rate of 19.3%, that burden figure signals a tenant pool where a single missed paycheck can translate quickly into a nonpayment situation. Under RSMo § 535.010, Missouri eviction laws landlords may file a rent-and-possession action with no advance notice period required - the day rent is past due, filing is legally available. Court filing fees run $70 to $180 and an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days, making the cost and timeline calculus straightforward for landlords with straightforward cases.

Within the county, risk is not uniform. Portageville (population 2,825, score 2.7/10) and Risco (score 2.7/10) carry the highest per-city scores, followed by Hayward at 2.6/10. The county seat of New Madrid (population 2,662) scores a lower 2/10, while Gideon and Matthews both come in at 2.4/10. Lilbourn (population 905) sits at the county average of 2.3/10. Landlords operating across multiple New Madrid County communities should note this spread - the 0.9-point gap between the lowest-scoring and highest-scoring cities (1.8 to 2.7) means local conditions in Portageville or Risco differ meaningfully from those in Marston or the city of New Madrid. Missouri eviction laws has no rent control and state law under RSMo § 441 expressly preempts any municipality from enacting it, so none of these communities can add rent caps above the state framework regardless of local politics. Just cause for eviction is not required statewide, and source-of-income protections do not exist at the state level.

New Madrid County's Low risk score reflects a landlord-favorable statutory environment under RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant) with no rent cap, no just-cause requirement, and a fast uncontested case timeline - tempered by a high renter share of 40.4% and a 19.3% poverty rate that keep underlying financial stress elevated.