Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
23.9%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for King, WI, tenants prevail in roughly 23.9% 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 King, 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
$1.9–5.4k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in King, WI costs landlords $1,909 to $5,415 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$811
26% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in King, WI is $811 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 26% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
6.5%
of households
6.5% of occupied housing units in King, 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
7.8%
4.5% unemp.
7.8% of King, WI residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.5%. 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
GOP margin +33.4% (2024)
4.1
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.1
State political climate
Wisconsin legislature & governorship
2.9
Economic stress
7.8% poverty · 4.5% unemp.
2.7
Supply constraint
$811 average · 6.5% renters
6.1
Rent Control risk
26.3% of income on rent
3.1
Eviction process difficulty
52 days filing → judgment
2.8
Tenant organizing strength
6.5% renters
5.6
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.7
Geographic context
Risk heat across King and the region
Click any city to see its score
How King compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Waupaca County
Low
#12of 15 cities
#12 of 15 cities in Waupaca County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Wisconsin
Very Low
#657of 803 cities
#657 of 803 cities in Wisconsin for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.6
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 2.6/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.8 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
52d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $811/mo. A contested eviction takes 52 days and costs $1,909–$5,415 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
6.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,399 residents, 6.5% rent. 26% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 7.8% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.1
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.1 and 4.1 (GOP margin +33.4% (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 2.8, housing court bias 3.7, rent-control risk 3.1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-2.2 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
2.7
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 2.7. Supply constraint: 6.1. The numbers behind those: 7.8% poverty, 4.5% unemployment, 26% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
King sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
King · 52d · ~$3.7k all-in ($70/day) · score 2.6National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in King, Wisconsin, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.6/10 (LOW 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.
King is a city of 1,399 residents where 6.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 26.3% of income on rent. At an average rent of $811/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 King eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 2.8/10, 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 King 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 King's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 3.7/10 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 King runs $1,909 to $5,415 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 $811/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 5.6/10 in King, and the city has limited rent control exposure (3.1/10). 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 King: 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 LOW 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 $5,415 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in King
Trap · R+31.8
King reflects the demographic and political composition of Waupaca County, with eviction procedure governed at the state level. Waupaca County 2020 margin: R+31.8.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, state-level (no county tracker available). Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 1,980 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.90× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 25,794 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 145,103.
1,980Past month
25,794Past 12 months
0.90×vs baseline (past mo)
15.2%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 7% over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant pays after the 5-day notice but before I file in court?
If they pay the full amount due, including any late fees allowed by your lease, you generally cannot proceed with the eviction for that specific non-payment. The purpose of the pay-or-quit notice is to give them a chance to cure the default. If they cure it, the notice is essentially voided for that particular issue. However, you can still pursue eviction for other lease violations if applicable, or for a no-cause termination if it's a month-to-month tenancy and you give proper notice.
Q2
Can I turn off utilities to get a tenant to leave in King, WI?
Absolutely not. Turning off utilities, changing locks, or otherwise attempting to force a tenant out is considered an illegal "self-help" eviction in Wisconsin. This can lead to significant legal penalties, including fines and potentially owing the tenant damages. Always follow the legal eviction process through the courts and sheriff's department. It's not worth the risk.
Q3
Do I need an attorney for an eviction in Waupaca County?
While you can represent yourself in small claims court, an attorney specializing in landlord-tenant law is highly recommended, especially if this is your first eviction or if the tenant is contesting the eviction. An attorney ensures all notices are correct, court procedures are followed, and your case is presented effectively. Given the typical attorney fees are a significant portion of the total cost, it's money well spent to avoid delays and costly mistakes. See the Waupaca County eviction guide for more local insights.
Q4
Are there any rent control laws in King, WI?
No, Wisconsin has a statewide preemption against rent control. This means no city or county in Wisconsin, including King or Waupaca County, can implement rent control ordinances. This significantly reduces your rent-control-risk (a sub-score of 3.1 for King). You generally have the ability to set market rates for your rentals, adhering to fair housing laws, of course.
Q5
What if my tenant damages the property beyond normal wear and tear?
You can deduct the cost of repairs for damages beyond normal wear and tear from the tenant's security deposit. You must provide an itemized statement of these deductions within 21 days of the tenant vacating. Take photos or videos of the damage before and after the tenant moves out. If the damages exceed the security deposit, you can sue the tenant in small claims court for the difference. Make sure your lease clearly defines tenant responsibilities regarding property condition.
A 2.6/10 places King in the 26th 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 climbed steadily 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.
Cities with similar eviction risk to King (2.6/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
