Nodaway County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low

Nodaway County, Missouri scores 3.8/10 on eviction risk, placing it in the Low tier and in the lower-risk third of Missouri's 115 counties. With 78 counties scoring higher and only 36 scoring lower, landlords and investors operating across the county's 13 cities encounter a market that trends toward stability. Average rent sits at $786, rent burden averages 27.4% of income, and the renter share of housing stands at 46.6%, a meaningful rental market for a county with a total population of roughly 13,088.

The county average of 3.8/10 masks real variation at the city level, with scores spanning from 1.5 at the low end to 2.5 at the high end. Even within this low-risk county, some cities carry meaningfully different operating conditions, so investors evaluating specific assets should look past the county aggregate before drawing conclusions.

The cities inside Nodaway County

The highest-risk markets in the county are Hopkins (3.2/10, population 388) and Skidmore (3.2/10, population 189), both at the county ceiling. These smaller communities show the elevated risk profile more common in rural areas with concentrated poverty pressure. Maryville, the county seat and by far the largest city with a population of 10,428, scores 4/10, right at the county average, meaning the bulk of Nodaway's rental activity is occurring in a stable, mid-tier risk environment.

At the lower end, Conception Junction scores 3.2/10 and Burlington Junction and Elmo each score 3.2/10, representing the most landlord-favorable conditions in the county. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: the gap between the riskiest and least risky cities spans a full point, which matters when sizing a rental portfolio or evaluating a specific acquisition.

State-level laws that apply here

Missouri state law governs all landlord-tenant relationships in Nodaway County under RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, Missouri landlords may file a rent-and-possession action immediately, with no advance notice required under RSMo § 535.010. A material lease violation requires 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 full Missouri eviction process, including notice requirements and court timelines, is essential before pursuing any action.

Once filed, an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested case can run 45 to 120 days. Court filing fees range from $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,000, so Missouri eviction costs can vary widely depending on how a case unfolds. Missouri does not require just cause for eviction and state law preempts any local rent control ordinance, providing landlords with a structurally predictable legal environment.

With a poverty rate of 23.9% and nearly half of residents renting, Nodaway County carries real economic pressure beneath its low aggregate risk score; city-level detail in the grid above shows where that pressure concentrates most.