National ranking · 100 entries
Best Cities for Landlords in 2026.
The 100 US cities where landlords face the lowest eviction risk, weakest tenant protections, and most landlord-leaning environment. Ranked by Eviction Risk Score (1–10, lower is more landlord-friendly).
Top city
Gillette
0.8 · WY
Average Risk
1.8
across 100 entries
Most-represented state
TX
29 of 100 on this list
Average rent · list
$1,138
per month
Ranking · top 100
Ranked by Eviction Risk Score · lowest first
Click a column to sort
| # | City↕ | County↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | Rent Burden↕ | Average Rent↕ | Lean↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Gillette WY | Campbell County | 33,431 | 0.8 | 31.5% | $976 | Rep |
| 002 | Bismarck ND | Burleigh County | 75,556 | 1.0 | 24.3% | $999 | Rep |
| 003 | Fargo ND | Cass County | 131,627 | 1.1 | 26.3% | $946 | IND |
| 004 | Rapid City SD | Pennington County | 77,946 | 1.1 | 30.1% | $1,109 | Rep |
| 005 | Grand Forks ND | Grand Forks County | 59,042 | 1.1 | 27.8% | $980 | Rep |
| 006 | Amarillo TX | Potter County | 201,885 | 1.2 | 28.6% | $1,092 | Rep |
| 007 | Sioux Falls SD | Minnehaha County | 201,469 | 1.2 | 26.5% | $1,035 | Rep |
| 008 | St. George UT | Washington County | 101,995 | 1.2 | 34.0% | $1,545 | Rep |
| 009 | Fort Smith AR | Sebastian County | 89,805 | 1.2 | 25.6% | $884 | Rep |
| 010 | Casper WY | Natrona County | 58,839 | 1.2 | 28.2% | $1,009 | Rep |
| 011 | Cedar City UT | Iron County | 38,524 | 1.2 | 31.4% | $1,054 | Rep |
| 012 | Provo UT | Utah County | 114,766 | 1.3 | 29.9% | $1,193 | Rep |
| 013 | Rogers AR | Benton County | 72,981 | 1.3 | 23.7% | $1,270 | Rep |
| 014 | Idaho Falls ID | Bonneville County | 67,725 | 1.3 | 26.9% | $1,075 | Rep |
| 015 | Conway AR | Faulkner County | 67,642 | 1.3 | 28.8% | $1,011 | Rep |
| 016 | Bentonville AR | Benton County | 58,249 | 1.3 | 20.9% | $1,344 | Rep |
| 017 | Midland TX | Midland County | 136,640 | 1.4 | 31.9% | $1,434 | Rep |
| 018 | Odessa TX | Ector County | 115,322 | 1.4 | 32.6% | $1,315 | Rep |
| 019 | Springdale AR | Washington County | 88,160 | 1.4 | 25.3% | $1,071 | IND |
| 020 | Franklin TN | Williamson County | 87,133 | 1.4 | 28.7% | $1,923 | Rep |
| 021 | Jonesboro AR | Craighead County | 80,137 | 1.4 | 32.5% | $956 | Rep |
| 022 | Meridian ID | Ada County | 130,138 | 1.5 | 29.8% | $1,805 | IND |
| 023 | Johnson City TN | Washington County | 72,222 | 1.5 | 29.8% | $1,023 | Rep |
| 024 | Cheyenne WY | Laramie County | 65,239 | 1.5 | 29.5% | $1,118 | Rep |
| 025 | Great Falls MT | Cascade County | 60,329 | 1.5 | 28.2% | $900 | Rep |
| 026 | Cibolo TX | Guadalupe County | 35,109 | 1.5 | 25.8% | $2,112 | Rep |
| 027 | Palm City FL | Martin County | 26,371 | 1.5 | 29.5% | $2,013 | Rep |
| 028 | Hastings NE | Adams County | 25,008 | 1.5 | 31.2% | $858 | Rep |
| 029 | Lubbock TX | Lubbock County | 264,814 | 1.6 | 33.1% | $1,182 | Rep |
| 030 | Cape Coral FL | Lee County | 215,536 | 1.6 | 37.2% | $1,858 | Rep |
| 031 | Pearland TX | Brazoria County | 127,514 | 1.6 | 30.4% | $1,860 | Rep |
| 032 | Nampa ID | Canyon County | 110,319 | 1.6 | 30.0% | $1,420 | Rep |
| 033 | The Villages FL | Sumter County | 83,498 | 1.6 | 51.0% | $1,397 | Rep |
| 034 | Enid OK | Garfield County | 50,653 | 1.6 | 26.1% | $914 | Rep |
| 035 | Navarre FL | Santa Rosa County | 39,838 | 1.6 | 26.0% | $1,966 | Rep |
| 036 | Panama City FL | Bay County | 34,979 | 1.6 | 34.0% | $1,327 | Rep |
| 037 | Laramie WY | Albany County | 32,234 | 1.6 | 30.8% | $925 | IND |
| 038 | Williston ND | Williams County | 28,056 | 1.6 | 24.1% | $1,122 | Rep |
| 039 | Pace FL | Santa Rosa County | 26,282 | 1.6 | 28.7% | $1,282 | Rep |
| 040 | College Station TX | Brazos County | 124,570 | 1.7 | 39.4% | $1,194 | Rep |
| 041 | Billings MT | Yellowstone County | 119,434 | 1.7 | 29.6% | $1,138 | Rep |
| 042 | Wichita Falls TX | Wichita County | 102,581 | 1.7 | 27.9% | $1,022 | Rep |
| 043 | Fayetteville AR | Washington County | 99,319 | 1.7 | 29.6% | $1,065 | IND |
| 044 | Caldwell ID | Canyon County | 66,516 | 1.7 | 29.8% | $1,264 | Rep |
| 045 | Pensacola FL | Escambia County | 54,036 | 1.7 | 30.7% | $1,322 | Rep |
| 046 | Fleming Island FL | Clay County | 29,766 | 1.7 | 30.7% | $1,935 | Rep |
| 047 | Dodge City KS | Ford County | 27,613 | 1.7 | 20.6% | $1,045 | Rep |
| 048 | Fremont NE | Dodge County | 27,567 | 1.7 | 25.7% | $1,080 | Rep |
| 049 | Dickinson ND | Stark County | 25,357 | 1.7 | 26.7% | $957 | Rep |
| 050 | Port St. Lucie FL | St. Lucie County | 232,491 | 1.8 | 34.6% | $1,937 | IND |
| 051 | Abilene TX | Taylor County | 128,053 | 1.8 | 31.2% | $1,157 | Rep |
| 052 | The Woodlands TX | Montgomery County | 121,002 | 1.8 | 28.4% | $1,822 | Rep |
| 053 | Sugar Land TX | Fort Bend County | 110,016 | 1.8 | 30.9% | $1,957 | Dem |
| 054 | Tyler TX | Smith County | 109,215 | 1.8 | 29.5% | $1,252 | Rep |
| 055 | Palm Coast FL | Flagler County | 98,258 | 1.8 | 36.7% | $1,782 | Rep |
| 056 | Fort Myers FL | Lee County | 95,051 | 1.8 | 36.9% | $1,580 | Rep |
| 057 | Kingsport TN | Sullivan County | 56,262 | 1.8 | 29.5% | $907 | Rep |
| 058 | Stillwater OK | Payne County | 49,269 | 1.8 | 36.0% | $947 | Rep |
| 059 | Minot ND | Ward County | 47,791 | 1.8 | 24.3% | $973 | Rep |
| 060 | Salina KS | Saline County | 46,307 | 1.8 | 26.5% | $959 | Rep |
| 061 | Florence AL | Lauderdale County | 41,701 | 1.8 | 26.3% | $820 | Rep |
| 062 | Texarkana TX | Bowie County | 35,992 | 1.8 | 32.3% | $1,010 | Rep |
| 063 | Del Rio TX | Val Verde County | 34,668 | 1.8 | 29.0% | $895 | Rep |
| 064 | Cleburne TX | Johnson County | 34,344 | 1.8 | 32.3% | $1,322 | Rep |
| 065 | Lufkin TX | Angelina County | 34,251 | 1.8 | 31.0% | $1,079 | Rep |
| 066 | Aberdeen SD | Brown County | 28,189 | 1.8 | 27.3% | $762 | Rep |
| 067 | Nocatee FL | St. Johns County | 27,442 | 1.8 | 34.2% | $3,501 | Rep |
| 068 | Cabot AR | Lonoke County | 26,960 | 1.8 | 29.3% | $1,110 | Rep |
| 069 | Fort Hood TX | Coryell County | 26,814 | 1.8 | 28.0% | $1,406 | Rep |
| 070 | World Golf Village FL | St. Johns County | 26,077 | 1.8 | 44.1% | $2,299 | Rep |
| 071 | Laredo TX | Webb County | 257,619 | 1.9 | 32.2% | $1,030 | Dem |
| 072 | Olathe KS | Johnson County | 145,057 | 1.9 | 27.6% | $1,314 | Dem |
| 073 | Shawnee KS | Johnson County | 68,542 | 1.9 | 25.8% | $1,322 | Dem |
| 074 | Manhattan KS | Riley County | 54,239 | 1.9 | 31.1% | $1,003 | IND |
| 075 | Benton AR | Saline County | 36,595 | 1.9 | 25.6% | $1,072 | Rep |
| 076 | Kearney NE | Buffalo County | 34,246 | 1.9 | 27.1% | $949 | Rep |
| 077 | Fairbanks AK | Fairbanks North Star Borough | 32,083 | 1.9 | 30.1% | $1,496 | — |
| 078 | Alvin TX | Brazoria County | 28,333 | 1.9 | 32.2% | $1,215 | Rep |
| 079 | Overland Park KS | Johnson County | 200,306 | 2.0 | 26.9% | $1,515 | Dem |
| 080 | Murfreesboro TN | Rutherford County | 161,445 | 2.0 | 31.2% | $1,481 | Rep |
| 081 | McAllen TX | Hidalgo County | 145,385 | 2.0 | 30.5% | $1,049 | Dem |
| 082 | League City TX | Galveston County | 116,215 | 2.0 | 30.5% | $1,684 | Rep |
| 083 | Beaumont TX | Jefferson County | 113,279 | 2.0 | 32.6% | $1,121 | IND |
| 084 | Bonita Springs FL | Lee County | 55,904 | 2.0 | 36.2% | $1,882 | Rep |
| 085 | Grand Island NE | Hall County | 52,884 | 2.0 | 29.0% | $947 | Rep |
| 086 | Charleston WV | Kanawha County | 47,421 | 2.0 | 28.2% | $908 | Rep |
| 087 | West Fargo ND | Cass County | 40,094 | 2.0 | 26.6% | $1,111 | IND |
| 088 | Canyon Lake TX | Comal County | 33,883 | 2.0 | 35.3% | $1,327 | Rep |
| 089 | Sun City Center FL | Hillsborough County | 33,548 | 2.0 | 51.0% | $2,156 | Dem |
| 090 | Washington UT | Washington County | 32,348 | 2.0 | 31.7% | $1,614 | Rep |
| 091 | Paragould AR | Greene County | 30,215 | 2.0 | 30.1% | $925 | Rep |
| 092 | Garden City KS | Finney County | 27,819 | 2.0 | 19.7% | $1,052 | Rep |
| 093 | Plano TX | Collin County | 290,594 | 2.1 | 27.6% | $1,841 | IND |
| 094 | Frisco TX | Collin County | 219,304 | 2.1 | 28.1% | $2,014 | IND |
| 095 | Brownsville TX | Cameron County | 189,177 | 2.1 | 29.2% | $923 | Dem |
| 096 | New Braunfels TX | Comal County | 104,643 | 2.1 | 30.6% | $1,654 | Rep |
| 097 | Edinburg TX | Hidalgo County | 104,550 | 2.1 | 28.6% | $996 | Dem |
| 098 | San Angelo TX | Tom Green County | 99,674 | 2.1 | 29.6% | $1,153 | Rep |
| 099 | Jackson TN | Madison County | 68,435 | 2.1 | 33.3% | $1,145 | Rep |
| 100 | Owensboro KY | Daviess County | 60,302 | 2.1 | 27.1% | $905 | Rep |
How the ranking is built
The Eviction Risk Score is a 1–10 index combining local, regional, and state political climate (2020 county presidential margin + state legislative posture), economic stress (Census ACS 2023 poverty + unemployment), supply constraint (renter share + median rent), rent-control risk (national percentile of rent burden), eviction process difficulty (state statute), tenant organizing strength (renter share), and housing court bias (state-weighted).
We include only cities with population ≥ 25,000 so the ranking reflects places where the dataset is robust and the practical landlord exposure is material. Every city on this list links to its full page with nine sub-scores, typical eviction cost, typical timeline, and an interactive map of neighboring cities.
Sources
US Census ACS 2023 5-year (poverty, unemployment, rent burden, median gross rent, renter share), 2024 Census Gazetteer (geometry), MIT Election Lab 2020 county presidential returns, state landlord-tenant statute citations, HUD cost-burden thresholds. Nothing on this list is synthesized — where a source has no value for a city, it is excluded from that ranking, not filled in.