Jefferson County, Nebraska Eviction Risk: Low

Jefferson County sits in southeastern Nebraska's agricultural heartland, home to about 5,101 residents spread across 9 incorporated communities. Renters make up roughly 29% of households here, paying an average of $687 per month - well below national norms, and a figure that shapes the county's overall eviction dynamics considerably. The county's composite eviction risk score lands at 3.6/10 (Low), placing it at 17th of 93 Nebraska counties when ranked from highest to lowest risk. That position means 16 counties carry higher risk and 40 sit lower, placing Jefferson squarely in the higher-risk of the state on this measure.

Fairbury, the county seat and by far the largest community with a population of 3,888, anchors the county at 3.7/10 - matching the county average closely. Smaller communities show more spread. Reynolds, a village of only a few dozen households in the county's southeast corner, registers the highest reading in the county at 3.5/10. Plymouth (3.5/10, pop. 397), Jansen (3.2/10), and Harbine (3.2/10) cluster together as the next tier of elevated readings. Daykin (3.1/10), Diller (3.4/10), and Endicott (3.1/10) fall in the middle, while Steele City registers the county's lowest score at 3.1/10. Across all 9 communities, scores range from 3.1 to 3.7 - a relatively tight band reflecting the county's uniform rural character and the stabilizing effect of low absolute rent levels.

Nebraska operates under the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1401 et seq.), a landlord-accessible framework with no statewide rent cap and no just-cause eviction requirement. The state also preempts local governments from enacting rent control, so Jefferson County communities cannot adopt tenant protections beyond what state law allows. For non-payment of rent, landlords must give a 7-day pay-or-quit notice; lease violations carry a 14-day cure notice; and month-to-month tenancies require 30 days' notice to terminate with no cause. An uncontested eviction in Jefferson County typically resolves in 21 to 45 days from filing, with contested cases running 45 to 100 days. Court filing fees range from $85 to $200, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $150, and landlord attorney costs from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity. The county's 14.5% poverty rate and 26.7% average rent burden indicate that a meaningful share of renters here operate with limited financial cushion - a factor the Eviction Risk Map model weighs when generating community-level scores.

Jefferson County's 3.6/10 score reflects a rural southeastern Nebraska eviction laws market where low rents and a relatively modest renter share keep overall eviction pressure contained. The score sits below the Nebraska state average of 3.6/10, consistent with the county's position in the higher-risk of the state. Its tight score spread of 3.1 to 3.7 across 9 communities reflects how uniformly rural conditions - stable agricultural employment, limited multifamily stock, and below-average rent burden - shape risk at the local level.