St. Lawrence County, New York Eviction Risk: Very High

St. Lawrence County carries an average eviction-risk score of 8.5/10 (Very High) across its 26 cities, putting landlords and investors into persistently challenging operating territory. New York eviction laws state law already stacks the deck with mandatory just-cause requirements and layered tenant protections, and St. Lawrence County compounds that baseline with a 42.6% renter share and an average rent burden of 33.5%, meaning a large portion of tenants is already stretched thin each month. Thirty-six New York counties score higher on the risk scale, and 23 score lower, placing St. Lawrence in the middle third of the state but firmly on the high side of that band.

The intra-county score range runs from 7.4 to 9.1 out of 10, a 1.4-point spread that matters considerably when deciding which sub-markets to enter. An average rent of $804 leaves little cushion to absorb a protracted eviction, so investors who skip city-level due diligence here do so at real cost.

The cities inside St. Lawrence County

Potsdam tops the county at 8.7/10, the highest risk of any city in St. Lawrence County, and with a population of 8,427 it is one of the three largest markets in the county. Canton and Gouverneur both score 9.1/10, Canton serving a population of 7,167. Brasher Falls also registers 8/10. These four cities cluster at the top of the county risk scale and warrant the tightest tenant screening and rent-collection discipline.

Massena and Ogdensburg, the county's two most populous cities at 10,238 and 9,455 residents respectively, sit at 8.5/10, matching the county average. Akwesasne comes in at 8.7/10, and Norwood at 8.2/10, giving investors somewhat more favorable conditions, though still well into High-risk territory. Risk is genuinely hyper-local across St. Lawrence County, and the city-by-city grid below is the most reliable starting point for comparing specific markets.

State-level laws that apply here

Under New York state law (N.Y. RPL § 226 et seq. and RPAPL § 711), landlords must serve specific written notices before filing. A nonpayment case requires a 14-day notice under RPAPL § 711(2). Holdover timelines scale with tenancy length: 30 days for tenancies under one year, 60 days for one to two years, and 90 days for two years or more, all under RPL § 226-c. A material lease violation triggers a shorter 10-day cure or quit notice under RPAPL § 711(1). Once in court, an uncontested case runs 30 to 90 days; a contested matter can extend to 90 to 210 days. Court filing fees range from $45 to $210, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $200, and attorney fees from $1,000 to $4,000, making even a straightforward case a meaningful financial exposure. New York eviction risk also mandates just-cause eviction statewide, and rent-cap formulas vary by locality. For the full procedural picture, see the New York eviction process and New York eviction costs guides, and review New York tenant protections before drafting any lease addenda.

With a county-wide poverty rate of 21.2% and renter share of 42.6%, St. Lawrence County carries structural headwinds that show up in nearly every sub-market; the city grid above is the fastest way to compare exact risk scores across all 26 cities before committing capital.