Outagamie County, Wisconsin Eviction Risk: Low

Outagamie County scores 2.8/10 (Low) on eviction risk, placing it rank 20 of 72 Wisconsin eviction laws counties, meaning 19 counties carry higher risk and 52 are more landlord-friendly. That puts the county in the higher-risk third of Wisconsin, a relevant caution for investors who assume any low-scoring market is uniformly safe. The average rent runs $1,053 per month, rent burden sits at 25.5% of income, and roughly 31.2% of residents rent, giving landlords a meaningful tenant pool without the severe cost-burden pressure that drives default rates in larger metros.

Across the county's 13 tracked cities, scores span from 2.6 to 4, a range that demands city-level analysis rather than a blanket county read. A landlord choosing between the county's most affordable acquisition markets and its densest rental corridors is effectively choosing between two different operating environments, even though both sit within the same county boundaries.

The cities inside Outagamie County

The two highest-risk municipalities are Appleton (4/10, population 75,023) and Little Chute (4/10, population 11,754). Appleton eviction risk anchors the county economically and draws the largest renter base; its score reflects that density and its associated tenant-protection usage. Nichols follows closely at 3.9/10, and Kaukauna (population 17,706) lands at 2.8/10, matching the county average exactly. These four markets account for a substantial share of the county's rental inventory, so investors concentrating there should underwrite with the higher end of the county range in mind.

On the lower-risk side, Combined Locks scores 2.6/10, the county's most landlord-favorable reading. Greenville comes in at 3.2/10 and Hortonville at 3.3/10. These smaller communities offer meaningfully lower eviction-risk profiles, though their rental inventory is correspondingly thinner. Risk is hyper-local here: a two-mile difference in address can shift a landlord's operating environment by more than a full point on the scale.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Outagamie County operates under Wisconsin eviction laws state law, specifically Wis. Stat. § 704 (Landlord and Tenant). For non-payment of rent, the required notice period is 5 days. A lease-violation cure notice requires 14 days, and a no-cause end-of-term notice requires 30 days. Wisconsin eviction laws does not require just cause for termination and state law preempts local rent control, so no municipality in the county can impose rent caps. The Wisconsin eviction laws eviction process, once a case is filed, resolves in 21 to 45 days for uncontested matters and 45 to 120 days when contested. Reviewing the Wisconsin eviction costs before acquiring property here is essential: court filing fees run $95 to $175, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $150, and attorney fees can range from $500 to $3,000 depending on contest level. Landlords should also note that Wisconsin requires a minimum 12-hour entry notice under Wis. Stat. § 704, and the anti-retaliation provision at Wis. Stat. § 704.45 applies to any adverse action taken against a tenant who exercises a legal right.

With a county poverty rate of 7.8% and just under one-third of residents renting, Outagamie County's fundamentals are relatively stable, but the city-level score spread shown in the grid above confirms that underwriting at the county average alone will overstate safety in Appleton and Little Chute while understating it in Combined Locks and Greenville.