Haakon County, South Dakota Eviction Risk: Very Low

Haakon County, South Dakota eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 1.2/10, placing it firmly in the Low risk tier. Across the county's 4 tracked cities, scores range from 0.8 to 1.3 out of 10, a tight band that reflects a uniformly landlord-favorable operating environment. The county ranks 46 of 66 South Dakota counties by risk, meaning 45 counties carry higher risk and only 20 are less risky, positioning Haakon County in the lower-risk third of the state. For landlords and investors, that translates to relatively low eviction pressure and a tenant population that, on the whole, pays and stays.

With a total measured population of just 996 and an average rent of $703, this is a small, rural market. The average rent burden sits at 22.2% of income, a figure that indicates most renters here are not financially stretched in ways that typically drive lease defaults. The conditions are quiet by design: thin rental stock, modest rents, and a landlord-side legal framework that, as state law reinforces, is built to resolve disputes quickly.

The cities inside Haakon County

Three of the four tracked cities, Philip (population 571), Cherry Creek (population 224), and Bridger (population 66), each score 1.3/10. Philip is the county seat and its largest community, and its score matches those of the smaller satellite towns, suggesting that local conditions across the county are consistent rather than concentrated in one pocket. Even at 1.3, these scores remain well inside Low-risk territory.

Midland, with a population of 135, is the outlier on the favorable end, scoring 0.8/10, the county minimum. Landlords operating in Midland face the lightest eviction-risk profile in the county. The point worth emphasizing for investors is that even the county's highest-scoring cities land at 1.3, so the risk spread here is narrow, but the direction of that spread still matters at the property level.

State-level laws that apply here

South Dakota law under SDCL § 43-32 (Lease of Real Property) gives landlords some of the most direct statutory tools in the region. For non-payment of rent or a lease violation, notice is required for only 3 days before a landlord may proceed. End-of-term or no-cause terminations require 30 days notice. Once filed, an uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 40 days; a contested case extends to 45 to 100 days. The South Dakota eviction process is therefore among the faster ones in the country for straightforward cases. Total eviction costs, covering a court filing fee of $95 to $180, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $150, and attorney fees of $500 to $2,500, can add up, so understanding South Dakota eviction costs before placing a tenant remains worthwhile planning for any investor here.

South Dakota does not require just cause for eviction and state law preempts any local rent control, so there is no patchwork of municipal rules to navigate within Haakon County. The habitability standard is codified at SDCL § 43-32-8, and fair-housing matters route through the South Dakota Division of Human Rights. South Dakota security deposit limits and South Dakota tenant protections are relatively landlord-neutral compared to many other states, which is part of why this county's risk scores cluster at the low end of the national scale.

Haakon County carries an average poverty rate of 24.1% and a renter share of 34.3%, both higher than many comparably scored rural counties, a reminder that low risk scores reflect legal and market conditions more than household financial stability, so the city-level scores in the grid above deserve a close look before committing to a specific submarket.