Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Eviction Risk: Low

Manitowoc County, Wisconsin eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.8/10, placing it in the Low risk tier. Across all 12 cities in the county, that number signals a rental environment where tenant-side pressures are present but not dominant, average rent runs $800 per month, and rent burden sits at just 22.8% of household income on average. The county lands at rank 25 of 72 Wisconsin counties, meaning 24 counties are riskier and 47 are less risky, putting Manitowoc County in the middle third of the state. For a landlord sizing up the market, that middle positioning means reasonable operating conditions without the near-zero risk profile of the state's most rural, stable counties.

The intra-county score range, 3 to 3.9, is narrow but still meaningful. A portfolio concentrated in the county seat will face measurably different dynamics than one spread across the smaller villages to the west and south. Renter share countywide is 29.4%, which is moderate, and the poverty rate of 11.5% is a realistic proxy for the population segment most likely to face payment difficulty. Taken together, the data supports cautious optimism for investors willing to be deliberate about which city or village they enter.

The cities inside Manitowoc County

The city of Manitowoc anchors the county with a score of 3.9/10, the highest in the county, and a population of 34,620, making it by far the largest rental market in the area. Kellnersville follows at 2.8/10, and Two Rivers, population 11,231, comes in at 3.6/10. Maribel also scores 3.6/10. These four cities at the top of the risk list are not dramatically elevated in absolute terms, but they are where vacancy-driven pricing pressure and tenant concentration are most likely to be felt by a landlord.

At the other end of the spectrum, Cleveland and Mishicot both score 3/10, and Kiel scores 3.1/10. These smaller communities offer the most stable profile in the county for buy-and-hold investors, though their limited rental demand means absorption risk cuts the other way. Risk in Manitowoc County is genuinely hyper-local: a single score difference of 0.9 points separates the county's most and least risky cities, and that gap can translate to real differences in collections performance and tenant turnover rates year over year.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Manitowoc County operates under Wisconsin eviction laws state law, specifically Wis. Stat. § 704 (Landlord and Tenant). For non-payment of rent, Wisconsin eviction laws requires a 5-day notice before filing. Lease violations with opportunity to cure carry a 14-day notice, and no-cause terminations at the end of a lease term require 30 days. Understanding the Wisconsin eviction laws eviction process matters here because timing errors on notice delivery can restart the clock and add weeks to an already stressful situation. Court filing fees run $95 to $175, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $150, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $3,000, so total case costs can land anywhere from a few hundred dollars on the low end to well above $3,000 when contested. Contested cases resolve in 45 to 120 days, while uncontested matters average 21 to 45 days.

Wisconsin eviction laws does not require just cause for non-renewal, and the state preempts local rent control ordinances, so no city within Manitowoc County can impose its own rent cap. Wisconsin security deposit limits are set at the state level as well; reviewing the Wisconsin tenant protections guide will show landlords exactly what disclosures and return timelines apply. Entry notice requires 12 hours advance notice to tenants. Retaliation protections are codified at Wis. Stat. § 704.45. Wisconsin eviction costs should be built into any landlord's financial model for the county, since even an uncontested case represents a meaningful out-of-pocket expense before the unit is re-rented.

With a poverty rate of 11.5% and a renter share of 29.4%, the county's risk profile is real but contained; the city grid above breaks that aggregate down to the city level so you can identify where within Manitowoc County the risk concentrations actually sit.