Sumter County, Georgia Eviction Risk: Low

Sumter County carries a county-wide average eviction-risk score of 2.5/10 (Low), placing it 13th out of 159 Georgia counties, meaning only 12 counties in the state carry more risk for landlords. With a 60.6% renter share and a 28.1% poverty rate across a total population of roughly 17,304, the rental pool here is large relative to the county's size, but economic stress runs deep. Average rents sit at $831 per month, and renters devote an average of 31% of income to housing, a burden level that keeps late-payment pressure persistently elevated. Investors considering Georgia should understand that Sumter County lands in the higher-risk third of the state rather than its comfortable middle.

The county's internal spread, from a low of 4.1 to a high of 5.3, is tight but meaningful. A single city, Americus, accounts for the overwhelming majority of county residents and sets the tone for operating conditions here. Landlords who treat the 5.2 average as a single operating environment will underestimate how much community-level variation shapes day-to-day collections and tenant turnover.

The cities inside Sumter County

Americus, home to 15,813 residents and the county seat, scores 5.3/10, the highest risk in the county. Because it contains nearly the entire county population, its dynamics effectively define the Sumter County rental market: higher likelihood of late rent, higher eviction rates relative to peers, and the longest average vacancy exposure when a unit turns over. Andersonville, a smaller community of 231 residents, scores 5.1/10, close enough to Americus that landlords there face a similar risk profile.

The lower end of the county risk spectrum belongs to Leslie (2.6/10, population 510) and Plains (2.2/10, population 750). These smaller communities post scores that would rank as moderate to low-moderate by Georgia standards, though their thin rental inventory limits how broadly that advantage applies. The gap between Plains at 4.1 and Americus at 5.3 is a genuine 1.2-point spread, a difference that matters when stress-testing a portfolio underwriting model. Risk in Sumter County is hyper-local, and city-level scores should drive unit-level decisions rather than the county average alone.

State-level laws that apply here

Georgia state law under O.C.G.A. § 44-7 (Landlord and Tenant) governs every lease in Sumter County. For nonpayment of rent and material lease violations, the required notice period is 3 days under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50. End-of-lease terminations require no additional notice, while holdover or no-cause terminations require 60 days under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7. Georgia does not require just cause for eviction, and under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19 the state preempts local rent control, so no Sumter County municipality can impose rent caps. Reviewing the full Georgia eviction process and Georgia eviction costs is essential before filing: court filing fees run $60 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add $25 to $100, and attorney fees range from $500 to $3,000. An uncontested case typically resolves in 14 to 30 days; a contested case can run 45 to 90 days. Those timelines and fee ranges apply uniformly across Americus, Plains, and every other city in the county.

With 28.1% of residents below the poverty line and renters making up 60.6% of occupied housing, economic vulnerability is the central underwriting variable in Sumter County; the city-level risk scores in the grid above break that exposure down to the market where your property actually sits.