Waupaca County, Wisconsin Eviction Risk: Low

Waupaca County scores 2.9/10 on the eviction-risk index, placing it in the Low risk tier and ranking 38th of 72 Wisconsin eviction laws counties, meaning 37 counties carry more risk for landlords and 34 are somewhat more landlord-friendly. That middle-of-the-pack standing, combined with an average rent of $830 and a rent burden of 28.6%, points to a market where most tenants are not severely stretched, and landlord-tenant disputes tend to be less frequent than in Wisconsin eviction laws's urban cores.

Across the county's 15 cities and communities, scores run from 2.8 to 3.6, a spread that matters to anyone deciding where inside the county to acquire or manage rental property. The renter share sits at 34.1% of households, a meaningful pool of tenants without the saturation pressure that drives up conflict rates in larger markets.

The cities inside Waupaca County

The county seat of Waupaca (population 6,283) and Clintonville (population 4,580) share the top risk score within the county at 3.6/10, as does Weyauwega (population 1,789). At that score these communities still fall in the Low range statewide, but they carry noticeably more landlord exposure than the county floor. Fremont follows at 2.9/10, and Marion at 3.2/10.

Lower-risk options include Iola and Chain O' Lakes, both at 3.0/10, and King and Manawa at 3.1/10. The gap between a 2.8 floor and a 3.6 ceiling may look modest on paper, but it reflects real differences in local tenant-income stability and lease-dispute frequency. Investors comparing submarkets should treat each city's score as its own data point rather than relying solely on the county average.

State-level laws that apply here

Wisconsin eviction laws landlord-tenant law under Wis. Stat. § 704 (Landlord and Tenant) sets statewide floors that apply uniformly across Waupaca County. For non-payment of rent, landlords must serve a 5-day notice before filing; lease violations carry a 14-day cure notice; ending a tenancy without cause requires 30 days. Understanding the full Wisconsin eviction laws eviction process before acquiring property here is worth the time, because missteps at the notice stage restart the clock. Wisconsin eviction laws does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and state law preempts local rent control, so no municipality in Waupaca County can impose rent caps.

On costs, court filing fees run $95 to $175, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $150, and attorney fees range from $500 to $3,000 depending on complexity. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 120 days. A full breakdown of Wisconsin eviction costs, including how local complexity affects attorney spend, helps investors model worst-case scenarios before signing on a property.

With a poverty rate of 12.3% and roughly one in three households renting, Waupaca County's risk profile is shaped as much by its smaller-city demographics as by state law; the city-by-city grid above shows how that plays out block by block across the county's 15 communities.