In court-decided eviction outcomes for Oak Creek, WI, tenants prevail in roughly 27.1% 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
52d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Oak Creek, WI until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 52 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.7-5.2k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Oak Creek, WI costs landlords $1,722 to $5,226 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,452
24% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Oak Creek, WI is $1,452 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 24% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
42.5%
of households
42.5% of occupied housing units in Oak Creek, WI 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
4.4%
0.8% unemp.
4.4% of Oak Creek, WI residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 0.8%. 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
Dem margin +38.5% (2024)
7.3
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
7.3
State political climate
Wisconsin legislature & governorship
2.9
Economic stress
4.4% poverty · 0.8% unemp.
3.0
Supply constraint
$1,452 average · 42.5% renters
8.1
Rent Control risk
23.7% of income on rent
3.4
Eviction process difficulty
52 days filing → judgment
3.2
Tenant organizing strength
42.5% renters
8.2
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.2
Geographic context
Risk heat across Oak Creek and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Oak Creek compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Milwaukee County
Low
#12of 19 cities
#12 of 19 cities in Milwaukee County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Wisconsin
Very High
#54of 803 cities
#54 of 803 cities in Wisconsin for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
4.4
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 4.4/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.5 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
52d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,452/mo. A contested eviction takes 52 days and costs $1,722-$5,226 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
42.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 37,325 residents, 42.5% rent. 24% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 4.4% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
7.3
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 7.3 and 7.3 (Dem margin +38.5% (2024)). State climate at 2.9, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2.9
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2.9/10 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 3.4. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-1.8 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
3
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 3. Supply constraint: 8.1. The numbers behind those: 4.4% poverty, 0.8% unemployment, 24% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Oak Creek sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Oak Creek · 52d · ~$3.5k all-in ($67/day) · score 4.4National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0-4 4-7 7-10
Landlording in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.4/10 (MODERATE 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.
Oak Creek is a city of 37,325 residents where 42.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 23.7% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,452/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 Oak Creek 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 Oak Creek closes 52 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 Oak Creek'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 Oak Creek runs $1,722 to $5,226 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 52 days of typical timeline and $1,452/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 8.2/10 in Oak Creek, and the city has limited rent control exposure (3.4/10). 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 Wisconsin, 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 Oak Creek: 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 MODERATE 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 Wisconsin's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $5,226 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Oak Creek
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Compare Oak Creek to neighboring cities in Milwaukee County via the grid below. The 5.5/10 score is computed from nine sub-factors plus a state-law multiplier under Wis. Stat. 704 + ATCP 134. Milwaukee County 2020 presidential margin: D+39.9. Cross-reference the state overview link in the guides section for Wisconsin statutory detail.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, county-level. Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 918 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.83× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 12,773 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 70,867.
918Past month
12,773Past 12 months
0.83×vs baseline (past mo)
18.2%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: at least five days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: $94.50 filing fee.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 - 2026-04-01
Filings dropped 15% over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Oak Creek without a reason?
For month-to-month tenancies, yes, you can typically terminate without a specific "just cause" by providing a 28-day notice. For fixed-term leases, you usually need a lease violation (like non-payment) to evict before the lease ends. Always check your lease terms and Wis. Stat. § 704.
Q2
What's the fastest way to get a tenant out who isn't paying rent?
The fastest way is often to issue the 5-day pay-or-quit notice immediately. If they don't comply, file for eviction. Sometimes, offering "cash for keys" can be quicker and less costly than a full court battle, especially if the tenant is receptive.
Q3
How much notice do I need to give for non-payment of rent?
In Oak Creek, for non-payment of rent, you must provide a 5-day pay-or-quit notice. This gives the tenant five days to either pay the overdue rent or vacate the property.
Q4
Can I keep the security deposit for normal wear and tear?
No. You can only deduct from a security deposit for damages beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid rent, or other breaches of the lease agreement. Document everything with photos before and after the tenancy to avoid disputes. See our Wisconsin security deposit rules for more details.
Q5
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in Oak Creek?
You are not legally required to have a lawyer for an eviction in Wisconsin, especially in small claims court. However, if the tenant contests the eviction, hires their own attorney, or if the case becomes complicated, hiring an attorney can save you significant time, money, and stress. It's a business decision based on the complexity of your case.
A 4.4/10 places Oak Creek in the 94th percentile of Wisconsin 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.
Neighborhoods in Oak Creek (1 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
