Calhoun County, Georgia Eviction Risk: Low

Calhoun County sits in southwest Georgia with a total population of roughly 4,520 and an eviction risk score of 2.9/10 - rated Low and ranked 3rd highest out of 159 Georgia counties. That ranking is worth pausing on: only 2 counties in the entire state carry higher risk scores, which puts Calhoun in an outlier position relative to most of rural Georgia. The elevated rank is driven not by aggressive tenant-protection ordinances (Georgia has none at the local level) but by economic pressure indicators that correlate closely with eviction filing rates.

The economic picture is tight throughout the county. Average rent sits at $623 per month, and renters here spend an average of 34.4% of income on rent - well above the conventional 30% threshold that housing economists use to define rent burden. The county's average poverty rate of 25.9% compounds that pressure: when roughly one in four residents lives below the poverty line, even a modest shortfall in monthly income can trigger a missed payment. About 42.6% of county households rent rather than own, meaning a substantial share of the population is exposed to that cycle. Morgan (population 1,902) and Edison (population 1,340) are the two largest communities and both score 3.1/10 - the highest readings in the county. Arlington (1,014 residents) comes in at 2.7/10, while Leary, the smallest incorporated place at 264 residents, scores 2/10. The spread from 2 to 3.1 is narrow in absolute terms but reflects real differences in local rental market stress.

Georgia's landlord-tenant framework is governed by O.C.G.A. § 44-7 (Landlord and Tenant), a statute that gives landlords relatively fast remedies compared to many states. A nonpayment-of-rent notice requires only 3 days under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50, and the same 3-day period applies to material lease violations. Holdover tenants receive a 60-day notice under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 14 to 30 days; contested cases run 45 to 90 days. Court filing fees range from $60 to $250, sheriff lockout fees from $25 to $100, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,000 for a full eviction. Georgia also preempts local rent control under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19, so no city or county in the state can cap rent increases - a fact that removes one potential buffer for renters in high-burden markets like Calhoun. Landlords have no obligation to show just cause for non-renewal, and source-of-income (voucher) discrimination is not prohibited under state law, though federal fair housing protections still apply through the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity.

Calhoun County's 2.9/10 Low score reflects a market where rent is affordable in dollar terms but economically burdensome given local income levels - a combination that keeps eviction filing pressure elevated even without a large urban rental stock.