Randolph County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low

Randolph County carries a county-wide average eviction-risk score of 3.9/10, placing it in the Low-risk tier across its 10 scored cities, but that headline number deserves context before an investor draws conclusions. Missouri ranks Randolph County 36th of 115 counties, meaning 35 counties in the state are riskier and 79 are less risky, putting Randolph in the higher-risk third statewide. For a county with a 20.3% poverty rate and average rent of $769, the fundamentals are not frictionless, and the intra-county spread from 3.1 to 4 tells landlords that location within the county matters considerably.

Renters make up 38.8% of Randolph County households, and the average rent-burden sits at 28.6%, both figures elevated enough to generate periodic nonpayment stress even in a formally Low-risk market. Operators who treat the county as uniformly benign will eventually encounter pockets that behave more like mid-risk territory, especially in the county seat.

The cities inside Randolph County

Moberly carries the highest risk score in the county at 4/10, with a population of 1,672. Moberly, by far the largest city at 13,526 residents, scores 4/10, meaning the bulk of the county's rental housing stock sits at or near the top of the local risk range. Together these two cities represent the practical center of gravity for landlords evaluating Randolph County.

Moving down the risk ladder, Higbee scores 3.2/10, Clark comes in at 3.2/10, and Cairo and Renick both score 3.2/10. At the low end, Jacksonville scores 3.1/10 and Clifton Hill logs the county minimum at 3.1/10. That range from 2 to 3.1 across communities separated by short distances underscores how hyper-local eviction risk is, even within a single Low-rated county.

State-level laws that apply here

Missouri eviction laws's governing landlord-tenant statute is RSMo 441 (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, Missouri eviction laws allows landlords to file a rent-and-possession action immediately with no advance notice period required under RSMo 535.010, which is one of the faster entry points in the Midwest. A material lease violation requires a 10-day notice under RSMo 441.060, and terminating a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days under the same section. Understanding these timelines is a core part of navigating the Missouri eviction laws eviction process correctly. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested matters run 45 to 120 days.

On costs, the Missouri eviction costs landlords need to budget include court filing fees of $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees of $40 to $150, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $3,000 depending on case complexity. Missouri eviction laws imposes no rent control and no just-cause requirement for terminating tenancies, and state law preempts local governments from enacting rent control ordinances. Missouri security deposit limits and retaliation protections (RSMo 441.020) round out the statutory framework landlords should review before operating here.

With 20.3% of residents below the poverty line and renters comprising 38.8% of households, underlying stress factors remain present even within a Low-risk rating; compare individual city scores in the table above to identify the specific sub-markets that best match your risk tolerance.