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
28.7%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for St. Marys, PA, tenants prevail in roughly 28.7% 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
64d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in St. Marys, PA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 64 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$2.6–8.4k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in St. Marys, PA costs landlords $2,566 to $8,444 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$762
29% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in St. Marys, PA is $762 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 29% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
22.4%
of households
22.4% of occupied housing units in St. Marys, PA 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
8.5%
6.7% unemp.
8.5% of St. Marys, PA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 6.7%. 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 +47.0% (2024)
3.5
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.5
State political climate
Pennsylvania legislature & governorship
3.4
Economic stress
8.5% poverty · 6.7% unemp.
6.1
Supply constraint
$762 average · 22.4% renters
3.1
Rent Control risk
29.1% of income on rent
2.3
Eviction process difficulty
64 days filing → judgment
3.2
Tenant organizing strength
22.4% renters
2.9
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.2
Geographic context
Risk heat across St. Marys and the region
Click any city to see its score
How St. Marys compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Elk County
Very Low
#9of 10 cities
#9 of 10 cities in Elk County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Pennsylvania
Moderate
#906of 1,952 cities
#906 of 1,952 cities in Pennsylvania for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.9
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.9/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+1.3 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
64d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $762/mo. A contested eviction takes 64 days and costs $2,566–$8,444 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
22.4%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 12,529 residents, 22.4% rent. 29% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 8.5% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
3.5
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 3.5 and 3.5 (GOP margin +47.0% (2024)). State climate at 3.4, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
3.4
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 3.4/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 3.2, housing court bias 3.2, rent-control risk 2.3. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-1.8 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
6.1
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 6.1. Supply constraint: 3.1. The numbers behind those: 8.5% poverty, 6.7% unemployment, 29% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
St. Marys sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
St. Marys · 64d · ~$5.5k all-in ($86/day) · score 3.9National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.9/10 (LOW 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 Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
St. Marys is a city of 12,529 residents where 22.4% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 29.1% of income on rent. At an average rent of $762/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 St. Marys eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 3.2/10, 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 St. Marys closes 64 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 St. Marys's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 3.2/10 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 St. Marys runs $2,566 to $8,444 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 64 days of typical timeline and $762/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 2.9/10 in St. Marys, and the city has limited rent control exposure (2.3/10). 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 Pennsylvania, 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 St. Marys: 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 LOW 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 Pennsylvania's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $8,444 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in St. Marys
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Cost-versus-timeline trade-off: at 64 days and roughly $8,444 on the high end, cash-for-keys at $3,377 to $5,066 typically beats the legal route for non-aggravated cases. Default judgment frequency is high under 68 PS 250.501.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, state-level (no county tracker available). Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 8,054 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.94× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 108,576 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 577,537.
8,054Past month
108,576Past 12 months
0.94×vs baseline (past mo)
Notice requirement: at least ten days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: $162 filing fee on average.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 – 2026-04-01
Filings dropped 12% over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What's the absolute fastest I can get a tenant out for non-payment in St. Marys?
The fastest route starts with the 10-day pay-or-quit notice. If the tenant doesn't pay or move out, you can file immediately. A hearing is usually within 7-15 days. If you get a judgment, the tenant has 10 days to appeal. After that, you can request an Order for Possession, and the sheriff can execute a lockout. In a perfect, uncontested world, you might see a tenant out in about 30-40 days from the notice, but 64 days is the average.
Q2
Can I charge late fees in St. Marys?
Yes, you can charge reasonable late fees as long as they are clearly stated in your lease agreement. Pennsylvania law doesn't specify a maximum late fee amount, but courts generally expect them to be reasonable and not punitive. Don't try to charge $100 a day. A common practice is a flat fee after a grace period (e.g., 5 days) or a percentage of the monthly rent.
Q3
Do I need a lawyer for every eviction in Elk County?
No, not necessarily. For straightforward non-payment cases where the tenant doesn't contest, many landlords handle the process themselves in Magisterial District Court. However, if the tenant hires a lawyer, raises complex defenses, or appeals the decision, hiring your own attorney is highly advisable. Your investment is at stake.
Q4
What if my tenant damages the property beyond normal wear and tear?
You can deduct the cost of repairs for damages beyond normal wear and tear from the security deposit. Remember to provide an itemized list of deductions within 30 days of the tenant vacating. Keep all receipts for repairs. If the damages exceed the security deposit, you can sue the tenant in small claims court for the difference.
Q5
Is rent control a risk in St. Marys or Pennsylvania?
No, Pennsylvania has a statewide preemption against rent control. This means no city or county in Pennsylvania, including St. Marys, can enact rent control measures. Your rent control risk here is very low, rated at 2.3/10. For more on this, see our Pennsylvania rent control rules.
A 3.9/10 places St. Marys in the 63rd percentile of Pennsylvania 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 climbed steadily 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 St. Marys (3.9/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
