Saline County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Very Low

Saline County, Missouri scores 2.3/10 on the eviction-risk index, a Low rating, yet its position at rank 33 of 115 Missouri counties tells a more nuanced story: 32 counties in the state carry higher risk, while 82 are less risky, placing Saline solidly in the higher-risk third of Missouri. Across its 11 cities, scores range from 1.8 to 2.6, meaning conditions vary meaningfully within the county even though the county-wide average looks benign. Landlords should treat that range seriously rather than assuming the low headline number applies everywhere.

The county's average rent of $722 and a rent-burden rate of 29.4%, combined with a poverty rate of 17.4%, signal that a meaningful share of renters are stretched thin. The 34.9% renter share is significant for a largely rural county, and investors should price in the credit risk that accompanies a high-poverty tenant pool before committing capital here.

The cities inside Saline County

Marshall is the county seat and by far its largest city, with a population of 13,739 and the highest eviction-risk score in the county at 3.2/10. Nearly every renter in Saline County lives in Marshall, so the county's headline risk figure is heavily anchored by conditions there. Investors targeting multi-family or single-family rentals in Marshall should stress-test underwriting against the highest local risk environment the county offers.

Gilliam comes in second at 2.4/10, followed by a cluster of cities, including Slater (population 2,066), Sweet Springs (population 1,268), and Blackburn, all scoring 1.8/10. The lowest-risk environment in the county is Blackburn at 1.8/10, with Miami at 2.6/10 and Nelson at 2.2/10 also in the bottom tier. This hyper-local spread, more than a full point separating the top from the bottom, means that a portfolio assembled entirely from smaller, lower-scoring Saline communities would carry substantially less risk than one concentrated in Marshall.

State-level laws that apply here

Missouri state law governs every lease in the county under RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, Missouri permits an immediate rent-and-possession filing with no advance notice period required under RSMo § 535.010, which is one of the more landlord-favorable notice rules in the country. A material lease violation requires a 10-day notice under RSMo § 441.060, and terminating a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days. Understanding the full Missouri eviction process, from filing through lockout, is essential before purchasing here: uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days, while contested matters can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Court filing fees run $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $150, and attorney fees for an eviction action typically range from $500 to $3,000. Missouri eviction costs can therefore reach well into the thousands on a contested case, which underscores the importance of rigorous tenant screening upfront.

Missouri does not require just cause for non-renewal and preempts local rent-control ordinances statewide, so no city inside Saline County can impose rent caps. Missouri security deposit limits and Missouri tenant protections outside the habitability statute at RSMo § 441.500 are comparatively restrained, leaving landlords with more flexibility than they would have in many other states.

With a poverty rate of 17.4% and roughly 34.9% of residents renting, the financial fragility of Saline County's tenant base is the single most important operating variable here; review the city grid above to identify which communities carry the least credit and eviction risk before committing to a specific submarket.