Otoe County, Nebraska Eviction Risk: Low

Otoe County sits along the Missouri River in southeastern Nebraska, anchored by Nebraska City - a community of roughly 7,369 residents that accounts for the majority of the county's 11,258-person population. The county carries a composite eviction risk score of 2.8/10 (Low), placing it 16th out of 93 Nebraska counties by risk. That ranking puts Otoe in the higher-risk of the state: 15 counties score higher and 77 score lower. By comparison, the Nebraska statewide average is 2.9/10. Within the county, individual city scores range from 2.3 to 3.3, which points to some variation across Otoe's small municipalities even though the overall picture remains relatively stable for landlords.

Nebraska City, the county seat and by far the largest city in Otoe, scores 2.8/10 - sitting right at the county average. Syracuse, the second-largest community at around 1,990 residents, comes in at 2.6/10, modestly below the county figure. Palmyra (589 residents) matches Nebraska City at 2.8/10, while the village of Cook, with a population of 328, reaches the county's low end at 2.3/10. On the higher end, Dunbar registers at 3.3/10, tied with Lorton as the riskiest localities in Otoe County. The villages of Otoe and Talmage each score 2.9/10 and 2.9/10 respectively. The gap between the floor and ceiling - 2.3 to 3.3 - is relatively narrow, which is consistent with a rural county where no single city has tenant-protection ordinances that would dramatically push scores upward.

Several structural factors keep Otoe's numbers in the low range. Average rent runs around $878 per month, well below most Nebraska metros, and the average rent burden sits at 24% of income - below the 30% threshold commonly used as a housing stress indicator. Renters make up about 22.7% of occupied households, a share typical of small-town Nebraska where homeownership rates run high. The poverty rate of 11.5% is real but not extreme by rural standards. Nebraska's landlord-tenant law (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1401 et seq.) governs the entire state and does not allow local rent control: the state preempts municipal rent caps outright. Landlords must give 7 days' written notice before filing for non-payment, 14 days for a curable lease violation, and 30 days for a no-cause end-of-term termination. Court filing fees in Otoe County range from $85 to $200, with sheriff lockout costs of $40 to $150. Uncontested eviction cases typically resolve in 21-45 days; contested matters can run 45-100 days. Those are longer than some landlords expect, and attorney fees of $500-$2,500 are a realistic planning number for any case that reaches that stage. Taken together, the low rent burden, modest renter share, and the absence of any local tenant protection ordinances produce a score that warrants the Low classification.

Otoe County's 2.8/10 eviction risk score reflects a low-rent rural market, a renter share below 23%, and a state legal framework that gives landlords clear procedural timelines with no local rent control layer. The county's 16th of 93 position in Nebraska places it in the higher-risk of the state by risk - above the majority of Nebraska counties but not near the top of the scale.