Burnett County, Wisconsin Eviction Risk: Low

Burnett County sits in Wisconsin's northwest corner along the Minnesota border, a lightly populated stretch of lakes, forests, and small rural communities. With a total renter population of roughly 2,871 across its tracked cities, the county's rental market is shaped almost entirely by local economic pressures rather than any institutional tenant-protection framework. The county scores 3.8/10 (Low) on the Eviction Risk Map index, placing it at 24th of 72 Wisconsin counties - squarely in the middle of the state's distribution. 43 counties carry higher risk and 28 are lower, meaning Burnett is neither a landlord's haven nor a hot-spot for tenant instability.

The five tracked cities span a modest but meaningful range. Siren, the county's second-largest city by tracked renter population (713 residents), is the highest-risk community at 4/10 - driven in part by a poverty rate that exceeds the county average and a renter share that concentrates economic vulnerability. The county seat and largest city, Grantsburg (1,340 residents), comes in at 3.7/10, essentially matching the county average. Danbury scores 3.2/10, while Webster lands at 4/10. Lewis, the smallest tracked community (170 residents), records the lowest risk in the county at 3.1/10. The full spread - 3.1 to 4 - is relatively compressed, reflecting a county where eviction dynamics are broadly similar across communities rather than sharply divided between high- and low-risk pockets.

Economically, Burnett County's rental market is under real pressure despite the low risk score. Average rent runs $700 per month and the average rent burden is 30.3% of household income - a level that financial researchers typically flag as the boundary between manageable and strained. Nearly 1 in 5 residents (19.9%) lives below the poverty line, and renters make up 36.1% of households. Those numbers mean a meaningful share of tenants are operating with little financial cushion. Wisconsin does not limit rent increases by statute and state law (Wis. Stat. § 704) explicitly preempts local municipalities from enacting rent control ordinances, so there is no local buffer available in Burnett County cities. Landlords must provide a 5-day notice to quit for nonpayment of rent, a 14-day notice for a curable lease violation, and a 30-day no-cause notice for month-to-month tenancies. These notice windows are shorter than in many other states, which compresses the timeline for tenants in financial distress to resolve arrears or secure alternative housing.

Burnett County's Low rating reflects a genuine absence of high-risk legal conditions - no rent control preemption tension at the local level, no just-cause eviction requirement, and no unusual structural pressures in the court process - but the underlying economic fragility (30.3% rent burden, 19.9% poverty rate) keeps it from scoring in the very lowest tier. The 24th/72 rank means most Wisconsin eviction laws renters live in counties with equal or higher eviction exposure.