Eviction Risk Score
Moderate
#38
of 64 CO counties
4.3 / 10
#38 of 64 counties in Colorado for landlord eviction risk.
County brief·Updated July 22, 2026
Custer County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate
3 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of Silver Cliff (4.5) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.
In 2026
Risk score
4.3
MODERATE
Ranked #38 of 64 CO counties
1k residents · 3 cities · 2 tracts
1976–2026 · pop-weighted from cities
Custer County eviction risk score history
Min1.7
Average2.5
Now4.3
Key metrics
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Tenant beats landlord35.5%/ 100 outcomesIn court-decided eviction outcomes for Custer County, CO, tenants prevail in roughly 35.5% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses and longer calendars.
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Timeline98dfiling → judgmentFrom the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Custer County, CO until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 98 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent for landlords.
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Cost range$4.6–12.4klegal + lost rentA typical eviction in Custer County, CO costs landlords $4,568 to $12,394 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent.
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Average rent$94040% stretched on rentAverage gross rent in Custer County, CO is $940 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey. 40% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent.
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Renters38.3%of households38.3% of occupied housing units in Custer County, CO are renter-occupied. A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings and a more active rental market.
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Poverty21.3%7.0% unemp.21.3% of Custer County, CO residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 7.0%. Both feed the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
A 4.3/10 Moderate score reflects meaningful rent burden (40% of income) and a 21.3% poverty rate in a small rural county of 1,405 residents. 38th of 64 Colorado counties -- middle third of the state, with 37 counties carrying higher eviction risk.
How Custer County ranks in Colorado
Cost of living
High
#13
of 51 states (statewide)
103.1 index
Colorado ranks #13 of 51 states on overall cost of living (3.1% more expensive than the U.S. avg).
Housing services cost
Very High
#5
of 51 states (statewide)
127.4 index
Colorado ranks #5 of 51 states on housing services (27.4% more expensive than the U.S. avg).
Income spent on rent
Very High
#6
of 64 CO counties
37.8% of income
#6 of 64 counties in Colorado on % of income spent on rent.
Landlord guides for Colorado
Colorado Eviction Costs →
Filing fees, attorney fees, lost rent, sheriff lockout
Colorado Eviction Process →
Step-by-step timeline, notices, statute cites
Colorado Rent Control →
Statewide caps, local ordinances, just-cause
Colorado Tenant Screening →
Five-point protocol, legal rules, protected classes
Colorado Tenant Protections →
Just cause, retaliation, habitability, entry
Cities in Custer County
Sorted by Eviction Risk Score · highest first
| City↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | % income on rent↕ | Average rent↕ | Lean↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Silver Cliff | 863 | 4.3 | 46.1% | $969 | Rep |
| 002 | Westcliffe | 419 | 4.5 | 27.3% | $879 | Rep |
| 003 | Crestone | 123 | 3.9 | 40.0% | $940 | Rep |
County heatmap
Local landlord context
One county, multiple regulatory regimes.
Custer County sits in the Wet Mountain Valley of south-central Colorado, a rural stretch of roughly 1,405 residents where the rental market is small but carries real financial pressure. The county earns a Moderate eviction risk score of 4.3/10, placing it 38th out of 64 Colorado counties -- meaning 37 counties statewide carry higher risk for landlords. That middle-third position reflects a housing market where tenant financial stress is real without reaching the levels seen in the state's urban cores.
The numbers behind that score deserve attention. Average rent in Custer County runs $940 per month, and renters here direct an average of 40% of their income toward housing costs -- a burden level that financial counselors generally flag as unsustainable. 21.3% of residents live below the poverty line, and renters make up 38.3% of the county's population. In a county this small, a handful of missed payments can ripple quickly. The riskiest city by score is Westcliffe (4.5/10), the county seat, followed by Silver Cliff (4.3/10), the largest community by population at 863 residents. Crestone, the smallest of the three tracked cities at 123 residents, comes in at 3.9/10 -- the lowest local risk in the county.
Colorado law shapes the eviction landscape here directly. Under C.R.S. § 38-12 (Tenants and Landlords), landlords must have just cause to terminate a tenancy, and a no-fault termination for owner move-in or renovation requires a 90-day notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104 (HB24-1098). Nonpayment of rent triggers a 10-day notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(d), while a substantial lease violation compresses that window to just 3 days under C.R.S. 13-40-107.5. Court filing fees run $105 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $200, and attorney fees for a contested case can reach $750 to $3,500. An uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested case stretches to 60 to 120 days. Landlords should also note that source of income is a protected class in Colorado, enforced through the Colorado Civil Rights Division -- meaning housing voucher holders cannot be screened out at the application stage.
Scores for the 3 tracked cities in Custer County range from 3.9/10 in Crestone to 4.5/10 in Westcliffe, with the county average sitting at 4.3/10 across a total population of 1,405 residents.
Eviction filings in Custer County
In November 2023, 1 eviction filings were recorded in Custer County, 100.0% of the historical average (near average).1
- 1Nov 2023
- 100.0%of historical avg
- 351Renter households
- 9.7%Poverty rate
Last 24 months of filings
2019-06 – 2023-11
Historical eviction filings in Custer County
From 2001 to 2017, eviction filings in Custer County increased 14%. The peak was 17 filings in 2015.2
- 72001
- 17Peak (2015)
- 82017
Annual filings 2001–2017
No filing data published after 2018
Data covers 2000–2018, the full span of the Princeton Eviction Lab's national county court-records dataset.
How Custer County compares
Custer County's 4.3/10 score puts it on par with peer counties including Crowley County (4.3/10), Ouray County (4.35/10), and Gilpin County (4.37/10), and slightly below Archuleta County (4.47/10) and San Juan County (4.42/10) -- a cluster of rural Colorado eviction laws counties all sitting in the Moderate range and facing similar rent-burden and poverty dynamics.
Peer counties in Colorado
Peer county
Gilpin County eviction risk
4.4
/ 10 · Moderate
Pop. 1.6K
Peer county
San Juan County eviction risk
4.4
/ 10 · Moderate
Pop. 1.1K
Peer county
Crowley County eviction risk
4.3
/ 10 · Moderate
Pop. 2.8K
Peer county
Ouray County eviction risk
4.4
/ 10 · Moderate
Pop. 3.4K
Where eviction risk concentrates in Custer County
Top cities by population
Frequently asked
Frequently asked questions about Custer County
Q1
Why is rent-to-income ratio 40.0% in Custer County?
Rent-to-income ratio of 40.0% reflects the ratio of average gross rent to average household income across 3 cities in Custer County.
Q2
What court hears evictions in Custer County?
Colorado state court hears unlawful detainer or summary process actions in Custer County. See the Colorado eviction laws eviction-process guide for court name and procedure.
Q3
Does Custer County have just-cause eviction?
Just-cause eviction is determined by state law. Colorado eviction laws framework applies; see the Colorado eviction laws tenant-protections guide.