Niobrara County, Wyoming Eviction Risk: Low

Niobrara County sits in the high plains of eastern Wyoming with a total population of roughly 1,594 residents - making it one of the most sparsely settled counties in a state already known for low density. The county carries an eviction risk score of 2.5/10 (Low), placing it 17th out of 23 Wyoming counties. That ranking puts Niobrara in the lower-risk of Wyoming counties by eviction risk, with 16 counties statewide scoring higher. The score spread across Niobrara's five recognized communities runs from 2 to 2.6/10, a tight band that reflects the county's uniform legal environment and similar tenant demographics from one small town to the next.

Lusk - the county seat and by far the largest community with around 1,311 residents - anchors the county with a risk score of 2.6/10. That reading is the highest in the county, driven in part by the relative concentration of renter households in a place where an average monthly rent of $612 and a rent burden averaging just 13.4% keep most tenants financially stable. At the opposite end of the range, Manville scores 2/10, the lowest reading in the county; the small community of roughly 215 people has a renter profile that tilts toward longer-term residents with fewer acute cost pressures. Lance Creek checks in at 2.5/10, Lost Springs at 2.4/10, and Van Tassell at 2.3/10 - all reflecting the same broadly stable conditions that define the county as a whole. For landlords comparing across the county, the practical difference between the highest and lowest community scores is narrow, and day-to-day rental operations in any of these communities operate under the same state statutory framework.

Wyoming gives landlords a straightforward legal environment statewide, and Niobrara County is no exception. Under Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1201 et seq., a landlord may serve a 3-day notice to pay or quit for non-payment of rent, a 3-day cure notice for lease violations, and a 30-day no-cause notice to terminate a month-to-month tenancy. The state does not require just cause to end a tenancy, does not protect source of income as a fair housing category (under Wyoming law), and expressly preempts any local rent control ordinance - meaning no municipality in the state, including those within Niobrara County, may impose rent caps or stabilization rules. Court filing fees for an unlawful detainer action run $85 to $175 at the local level; add sheriff lockout costs of $40 to $150 and, in contested cases, attorney fees that commonly range from $500 to $2,500. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested hearing can stretch to 45 to 100 days depending on court scheduling. Against a statewide average of 2.7/10, Niobrara's 2.5/10 positions the county as a meaningfully lower-risk operating environment for residential landlords.

The 13.4% average rent burden in Niobrara County - well below the 30% threshold used to define housing cost stress - points to a renter population that is not under acute financial pressure relative to Wyoming eviction laws norms. A 19.7% poverty rate introduces some vulnerability for individual households, but the county's small scale (fewer than 1,600 total residents), limited renter pool, and the absence of any local rent regulation or tenant-protection overlay keep the overall eviction risk picture firmly in the Low range. Landlords operating here should still plan for the full Wyoming statutory timeline in contested cases, but baseline conditions favor stable tenancies.