Dunn County, North Dakota Eviction Risk: Very Low

Dunn County sits in the oil-patch heartland of western North Dakota, a sparsely populated county of roughly 1,746 residents stretched across 2,000 square miles of badlands and rangeland. It carries an eviction risk score of 1.8/10 (Very Low), placing it 36th out of 53 North Dakota counties - firmly in the lower-risk of the state. With 35 counties carrying higher risk scores, Dunn is a notably stable operating environment for landlords, shaped by a landlord-friendly statutory framework, low tenant-protection density, and a rental population that makes up roughly 35% of occupied housing units paying an average of $929 per month.

The county's four incorporated places post scores in a tight band from 1.5 to 2, reflecting the uniform reach of North Dakota law rather than any local regulatory variation. Dunn Center leads at 2/10, followed by Halliday at 1.8/10. Killdeer - the county's largest community at 985 residents and its commercial center - comes in at 1.7/10, while Manning, the county seat in name though tiny in population at 43 residents, sits at the low end at 1.5/10. That narrow spread signals consistent conditions across the county rather than pockets of elevated tenant-side risk. The county average of 1.8/10 sits below the North Dakota statewide average of 1.8/10, confirming Dunn's position as a lower-risk rural market.

North Dakota's eviction statute (N.D.C.C. § 47-16) is among the most landlord-favorable in the region. The state gives tenants just 3 days to cure non-payment or a lease violation before a landlord can proceed to court, and requires only a 30-day no-cause notice to end a tenancy. The state preempts any local rent control ordinance, so no municipality in Dunn County can cap rents or impose just-cause protections beyond what state law already requires - which is none. The average rent burden sits at 21.9% of household income, well below the 30% threshold that housing economists consider stressed, and the poverty rate of 9.9% is modest for a rural western county. Court filing fees run $75 to $150 for a summary eviction proceeding, and an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 40 days from filing. Sheriff lockout fees of $40 to $125 are among the lowest in the region. For landlords operating in Killdeer eviction risk, Halliday, or the smaller towns, the combination of low statutory friction, no local rent control risk, and a low eviction-risk score makes Dunn County one of the more straightforward rental markets in North Dakota.

Dunn County's 1.8/10 risk score reflects a thin regulatory environment, low rent burden at 21.9% of income, and a landlord-friendly state statute that sets a 3-day cure notice and preempts local rent control. The score spread from 1.5 to 2 across its four cities shows uniformly low variation - no single community drives outsized risk.