Ray County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low

Ray County, Missouri eviction laws carries a county-wide average eviction-risk score of 3.5/10, placing it in the low risk tier. That figure spans 15 cities and a total county population of roughly 13,296. According to Missouri state rankings, 31 counties are riskier and 83 are less risky, putting Ray County in the higher-risk third of the state at rank 32 of 115. For landlords and investors, the headline number signals a market that is manageable but not uniformly easy: average rent runs $869 per month, rent burden averages 26.6% of income, and the renter share of households sits at 31.9%. These figures describe a county where tenants are under moderate financial pressure, which means even a well-screened tenant pool carries some baseline collection risk.

The intra-county spread from 3.5/10 to 3.5/10 matters as much as the average. A landlord holding units at the top of that range faces meaningfully different operating conditions than one at the bottom, and that gap is wide enough to affect pro formas. Missouri state law provides the legal framework, but which city you are in determines how exposed you actually are day to day.

The cities inside Ray County

The highest-risk locations in the county are Richmond and Lawson, both scoring 3.7/10. Richmond is the largest city in the county with a population of 5,959; Lawson is second at 2,905. Together they account for most of the county's renter base, and their scores sitting at the county ceiling means the most liquid rental markets here also carry the most concentration risk. Hardin follows at 3.2/10 with a population of 681.

At the other end of the range, Wood Heights scores 3.2/10, the lowest in the county, followed by several communities including Orrick, Wellington, and Henrietta all at 3.4/10. These smaller markets offer lower eviction-risk profiles but come with far thinner tenant pipelines given their populations. The spread makes clear that risk in Ray County is hyper-local: a portfolio concentrated in Richmond or Lawson carries a materially different risk profile than one spread across the county's smaller towns.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Ray County works under RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant). Missouri's notice structure is straightforward but consequential. For nonpayment of rent under RSMo § 535.010, no advance notice period is required before filing a rent-and-possession action. A material lease violation under RSMo § 441.060 requires a 10-day notice, and terminating a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days. Once filed, an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Understanding the full Missouri eviction process before a problem arises is essential, because timeline surprises are where landlords lose the most money.

On costs, Missouri eviction costs can add up quickly. Court filing fees range from $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,000, meaning a contested action could reach the high end of each component simultaneously. Missouri state law imposes no rent control and no just-cause requirement for lease non-renewal, and the state preempts any local effort to add either. Source of income is not a protected class under state law. Missouri security deposit limits are governed at the state level, and landlords should verify current limits with legal counsel. The Missouri Commission on Human Rights administers fair-housing enforcement.

With a poverty rate averaging 13.2% across the county, the renter population here faces genuine financial constraints, a fact that shows up in the risk scores of the county's larger cities. Review the city grid above to identify which specific markets in Ray County fit your risk tolerance and investment thesis.