Sheridan County, North Dakota Eviction Risk: Very Low
8 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of McClusky (2.4) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.
Ranked #7 of 53 ND counties
1k residents · 8 cities · 1 tracts
Sheridan County eviction risk score history
Key metrics
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Tenant beats landlord10.8%/ 100 outcomesIn court-decided eviction outcomes for Sheridan County, ND, tenants prevail in roughly 10.8% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses and longer calendars.
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Timeline19dfiling → judgmentFrom the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Sheridan County, ND until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 19 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent for landlords.
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Cost range$0.8–2.6klegal + lost rentA typical eviction in Sheridan County, ND costs landlords $797 to $2,577 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent.
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Average rent$59122% stretched on rentAverage gross rent in Sheridan County, ND is $591 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey. 22% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent.
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Renters23.7%of households23.7% of occupied housing units in Sheridan County, ND are renter-occupied. A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings and a more active rental market.
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Poverty15.2%8.5% unemp.15.2% of Sheridan County, ND residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 8.5%. Both feed the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model.
Scrub 50 years
Sheridan County scores 2.1/10 (Very Low), with city scores ranging from 1.4 to 2.4. The county average sits above the North Dakota statewide average of 1.8/10. Ranked 7th of 53 North Dakota counties - in the higher-risk of the state, with 6 counties carrying higher risk and 46 carrying lower risk.
How Sheridan County ranks in North Dakota
Landlord guides for North Dakota
| City↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | % income on rent↕ | Average rent↕ | Lean↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | McClusky | 327 | 1.7 | 18.5% | $365 | Rep |
| 002 | Anamoose | 309 | 2.4 | 32.5% | $725 | Rep |
| 003 | Drake | 300 | 2.3 | 13.8% | $700 | Rep |
| 004 | Goodrich | 85 | 1.8 | 27.5% | $591 | Rep |
| 005 | Martin | 80 | 1.5 | 22.1% | $591 | Rep |
| 006 | Mercer | 66 | 2.2 | 22.1% | $591 | Rep |
| 007 | Denhoff | 11 | 1.4 | 22.1% | $591 | Rep |
| 008 | Kief | 8 | 2.0 | 22.1% | $591 | Rep |
County heatmap
One county, multiple regulatory regimes.
Sheridan County sits in central North Dakota eviction laws with a total rental population of roughly 1,186 residents and an eviction-risk score of 2.1/10 (Very Low). That places the county at 7th of 53 counties statewide - firmly in the higher-risk of North Dakota on risk. Six counties across the state carry higher risk, and 46 carry less. For landlords operating here, the picture is a favorable one: rent averages $591 per month, rent burden runs at 22.1% of renter income, and the renter share of households sits at just 23.7% - well below statewide averages for more urbanized North Dakota eviction laws markets. The county's 15.2% poverty rate is worth watching, but on balance the fundamentals support stable landlord-tenant relationships.
City-level scores inside Sheridan County range from 1.4 to 2.4, which is a narrow spread for a rural county with eight incorporated places. At the higher end, Anamoose (2.4/10) and Drake (2.3/10) carry the most exposure - both small agricultural communities where renter demand is thin and any payment disruption moves quickly to a filing. Mercer comes in at 2.2/10. The county seat McClusky, with 327 residents and the largest population base, scores 1.7/10, sitting notably below the county average. Martin scores 1.5/10 and Denhoff scores 1.4/10 - the lowest in the county - making them among the most landlord-stable addresses in central North Dakota eviction laws. Goodrich at 1.8/10 and Kief at 2/10 round out the middle ground. The county average of 2.1/10 is modestly above the statewide average of 1.8/10, which reflects the slightly elevated risk profile of very small rural communities where vacancy and income volatility weigh more heavily than they do in larger markets.
North Dakota eviction laws landlord law is among the most landlord-friendly statutory frameworks in the northern plains. Under N.D.C.C. § 47-16, landlords may serve a 3-day notice for non-payment of rent or a lease violation, and a 30-day notice for no-cause termination at end of term. The state has no rent control and no just-cause eviction requirement, and state law preempts any local government from adopting rent stabilization ordinances. Court filing fees in North Dakota eviction laws run $75 to $150 for eviction actions, and uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 40 days from filing. Even a contested proceeding rarely stretches beyond 100 days. Attorney fees for straightforward eviction work generally fall in the $500 to $2,500 range, and sheriff lockout fees of $40 to $125 are among the lowest in the region. Sheridan County's low population density and the absence of tenant-protection overlays make it one of the more operationally straightforward counties to manage rental property in North Dakota eviction laws.
Sheridan County's 2.1/10 (Very Low) score reflects a sparsely populated rural market where North Dakota eviction laws's landlord-favorable statutes dominate the landscape. With no rent cap, no just-cause requirement, and a 3-day cure notice for non-payment, landlords here face fewer procedural obstacles than in most U.S. jurisdictions. The primary risk driver is the county's thin rental demand pool - only 23.7% of households rent - which means vacancies can linger and problem tenants have fewer alternatives, slowing voluntary move-outs. At $591 average monthly rent and a 22.1% rent burden, most renters here can afford their obligations, keeping filing rates low.
Eviction filings in Sheridan County
In August 2024, 1 eviction filings were recorded in Sheridan County, 100.0% of the historical average (near average).1
- 1Aug 2024
- 100.0%of historical avg
- 118Renter households
- 8.5%Poverty rate
Historical eviction filings in Sheridan County
From 2000 to 2016, eviction filings in Sheridan County increased. The peak was 4 filings in 2016.2
- 02000
- 4Peak (2016)
- 42016
Data covers 2000–2018, the full span of the Princeton Eviction Lab's national county court-records dataset.
How Sheridan County compares
At 2.1/10 (Very Low), Sheridan County sits modestly above the North Dakota eviction laws state average of 1.8/10 - a gap driven mainly by the county's very small rental market and the income volatility common to agricultural communities. Peer counties in the same risk band tell a similar story: Golden Valley County, Hettinger County, Benson County, Steele County, and Griggs County all score in a comparable range, none carrying materially more or less risk than Sheridan. What separates Sheridan slightly is its position at 7th of 53 statewide - placing it in the higher-risk of the state - while peers like Benson and Griggs sit a tier lower. Across all of these counties, the same North Dakota eviction laws statutory framework applies: 3-day notices, no rent cap, and no just-cause requirement, so the differentiation comes almost entirely from demographic and economic factors rather than legal ones.