Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from constituent census tracts, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
54.7%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Prairie City, OR, tenants prevail in roughly 54.7% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
151d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Prairie City, OR until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 151 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$7.6–18.0k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Prairie City, OR costs landlords $7,626 to $17,964 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$916
37% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Prairie City, OR is $916 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 37% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
15.3%
of households
15.3% of occupied housing units in Prairie City, OR are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
24.5%
4.1% unemp.
24.5% of Prairie City, OR residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.1%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +60.4% (2024)
2.9
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
2.9
State political climate
Oregon legislature & governorship
7.2
Economic stress
24.5% poverty · 4.1% unemp.
4.2
Supply constraint
$916 average · 15.3% renters
2.7
Rent Control risk
36.7% of income on rent
5.7
Eviction process difficulty
151 days filing → judgment
7.0
Tenant organizing strength
15.3% renters
2.8
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.0
Geographic context
Risk heat across Prairie City and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Prairie City compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Grant County
High
#3of 9 cities
#3 of 9 cities in Grant County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Oregon
Very Low
#352of 425 cities
#352 of 425 cities in Oregon for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.9
/ 10 · ELEVATED
The verdict
A Elevated-tier market.
Composite 5.9/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+3.3 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
151d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $916/mo. A contested eviction takes 151 days and costs $7,626–$17,964 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
15.3%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 615 residents, 15.3% rent. 37% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 24.5% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
2.9
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 2.9 and 2.9 (GOP margin +60.4% (2024)). State climate at 7.2, a tenant-leaning legislature.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
7.2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 7.2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 7, housing court bias 5, rent-control risk 5.7. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +2.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
4.2
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 4.2. Supply constraint: 2.7. The numbers behind those: 24.5% poverty, 4.1% unemployment, 37% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Prairie City sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Prairie City · 151d · ~$12.8k all-in ($85/day) · score 5.9National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Prairie City, Oregon, presents an elevated-friction market where documented notices and proactive screening matter. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.9/10 (ELEVATED tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Elevated-friction market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Prairie City is a city of 615 residents where 15.3% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 36.7% of income on rent. At an average rent of $916/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Prairie City eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 7/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Prairie City closes 151 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Prairie City's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Prairie City runs $7,626 to $17,964 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 151 days of typical timeline and $916/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 2.8/10 in Prairie City, and the city has limited rent control exposure (5.7/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Oregon, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Prairie City: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a ELEVATED tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Oregon's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $17,964 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Prairie City
Trap · 5.7/10
Comparative benchmarking matters in markets like this. Prairie City's 3.5/10 is below the Oregon state average. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 5.7/10. See the nearby cities grid below for direct A-vs-B comparison.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Prairie City for any reason if their lease is month-to-month?
No, not after the first year of tenancy. Oregon has statewide just-cause eviction laws. This means after 12 months, you need a specific, legally recognized reason to terminate a month-to-month tenancy, even with proper notice. Examples include non-payment of rent, lease violations, or demolition of the property. A 90-day no-cause notice is only permitted within the first year of occupancy.
Q2
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after I serve the 10-day notice?
Accepting partial payment can complicate or even invalidate your 10-day notice. If you accept a partial payment, it's generally considered a waiver of your right to proceed with the eviction based on that specific notice, and you might have to start the notice process over. If you want to accept partial payment, consult with an attorney first to understand the implications and ensure you don't jeopardize your case.
Q3
How long does a tenant have to move out after a judge orders an eviction?
Once a judge issues a General Judgment of Restitution, the tenant typically has a short period, often 2-4 days, to vacate the property. If they don't leave, you'll need to coordinate with the sheriff's office to schedule a physical lockout. This final step is handled by law enforcement, not by you, the landlord.
Q4
Can I raise the rent in Prairie City? Are there rent control rules?
Yes, Oregon has statewide rent control. Rent increases are capped annually at 7% plus the West Coast Consumer Price Index (CPI). There are exceptions for newer buildings (less than 15 years old). You must provide proper written notice for any rent increase, typically 90 days. Always check the current year's specific cap. For more details, see our Oregon rent control rules.
Q5
What should I do if a tenant abandons the property?
If you believe a tenant has abandoned the property, you must follow specific legal procedures under ORS § 90.425 before taking possession. This typically involves sending a notice of abandonment and waiting a set number of days. Improperly taking possession of an abandoned unit can lead to legal liability. Document the condition of the property and any personal belongings left behind. When in doubt, consult an attorney.
A 5.9/10 places Prairie City in the 20th percentile of Oregon cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has risen sharply since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Prairie City (5.9/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
