Harrison County, Ohio Eviction Risk: Low

Harrison County sits in eastern Ohio eviction laws's hill country, a rural enclave of roughly 5,864 residents where landlord-tenant disputes follow a markedly calmer track than most of the state. The county's overall eviction risk scores 3.9/10 (Low), placing it 43rd of 88 Ohio counties - well inside the middle of the state's risk distribution, with 42 counties carrying higher scores. That standing reflects a combination of modest rents, a countywide poverty rate of 22.7%, and Ohio's comparatively swift court procedures that rarely drag into drawn-out contested disputes.

Across Harrison County's nine tracked municipalities the risk spread runs from 3.1/10 to 4/10, a narrow band that signals relatively consistent conditions countywide. The county seat, Cadiz, is the population anchor at roughly 2,988 residents and scores 4/10 - a position that reflects stable occupancy patterns and a local housing stock priced well below statewide urban norms at an average of $772 per month. Scio (pop. 703) and Freeport (pop. 469) both come in higher at 4/10 and 3.8/10 respectively, a difference attributable to slightly tighter rental vacancy and higher shares of cost-burdened households in those villages. Bowerston scores 4/10, tracking close to the county seat, while Holloway at 3.4/10 benefits from a small but stable rental base and minimal court-filing activity in recent data cycles.

The highest individual score in the county belongs to Jewett, a village of about 402 residents that comes in at 3.8/10 - the county peak. Jewett's position at the top of Harrison's range reflects a higher renter share relative to its small size, combined with the broader 22.7% countywide poverty rate that keeps a share of households structurally close to the margin even when nominal rents are low. A single missed payment under Ohio law triggers a 3-day notice under ORC § 1923.04, so that margin matters. New Athens and Tippecanoe sit at the quieter end of the county's spectrum, scoring 3.2/10 and 3.1/10 respectively - very small renter populations and almost no recorded eviction filings in recent cycles. Across all nine municipalities, Harrison County's narrow score spread and low county average confirm it as one of Ohio's more landlord-stable rural jurisdictions, a useful benchmark for operators evaluating eastern Ohio's smaller rental markets.

With 35.9% of households renting and average monthly rent at $772, Harrison County's rental market is small and largely uncomplicated. The 27.2% rent burden figure is notable for a low-income rural county, but it has not translated into elevated eviction filing rates. The 22.7% poverty rate is the primary pressure point; without broader economic recovery, that figure keeps a meaningful share of renters close to the margin even as county-level scores remain low. Ohio eviction laws's statewide preemption of local rent control means no Harrison County municipality can cap rent increases, though very limited investor activity here has kept rents stable without any local ordinance intervention.