Sawyer County, Wisconsin Eviction Risk: Low

Sawyer County sits in northwestern Wisconsin eviction laws's Northwoods region, where the rental market is shaped as much by seasonal tourism and tribal land economics as by the conventional forces driving eviction risk in urban counties. The county's composite eviction risk score is 3.1/10 (Low), placing it 11th of 72 counties in Wisconsin - firmly in the higher-risk of the state. With only about 6,112 residents tracked across 11 municipalities and a modest average rent of $679 per month, the absolute volume of eviction filings here is low by any statewide measure, but the structural conditions that enable displacement warrant careful attention. A 24.6% poverty rate - well above statewide averages - combined with a 45.8% renter share means a substantial fraction of the population carries significant housing vulnerability on thin margins.

Within the county, risk is not evenly distributed. The score spread runs from 2.4 to 3.4 across communities, and the gap reflects real differences in economic composition between Sawyer County's larger service-oriented town and its smaller tribal and rural communities. Radisson carries the county's highest local score at 3.4/10, followed closely by New Post at 3.3/10 - both small communities where a single large landlord or concentrated public housing can shift aggregate figures noticeably. The county seat and largest city, Hayward, scores 3.1/10, consistent with the county average; its rental market is more diversified owing to its role as the commercial hub for the region's tourism industry, which creates both seasonal demand and periodic vacancy pressure. Little Round Lake scores 3.1/10, while Chief Lake comes in at 2.8/10 - one of the lower readings in the county, reflecting a smaller renter pool and fewer recorded filings.

Wisconsin eviction laws's landlord-tenant framework under Wis. Stat. § 704 applies uniformly across Sawyer County, and it leans meaningfully toward landlord efficiency. Nonpayment of rent triggers a 5-day notice requirement - among the shortest in the Midwest - giving tenants very little time to cure before a landlord may file. Court filing fees run $95 to $175, and uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days. There is no local rent control - Wisconsin eviction laws preempts it statewide - and no just-cause eviction requirement, meaning month-to-month tenants can receive a 30-day no-cause notice at any time. The combination of a high poverty rate, limited legal aid infrastructure in a rural county, and a procedurally efficient eviction statute creates the conditions that make the higher-risk ranking make sense even though aggregate risk scores remain in the Low range. Tenants in Sawyer County who fall behind face a fast-moving process with few structural protections beyond the basic notice and hearing rights provided under state law.

Sawyer County's 3.1/10 average reflects a county where poverty and renter density create moderate vulnerability despite a low-cost rental market. The 24.6% poverty rate is a key pressure point: at $679 average monthly rent, even a single missed paycheck can trigger a 5-day notice under Wis. Stat. § 704, and uncontested cases move through circuit court in as few as 21 days. Rural isolation limits access to free legal aid, and Wisconsin eviction laws's statewide preemption of local rent regulation means no municipal ordinance can soften these dynamics.