Ware County, Georgia Eviction Risk: Low

Ware County scores 2.7/10 (Low) on eviction risk, placing it 16th out of 159 Georgia counties -- meaning only 15 counties in the state carry higher risk. That ranking puts Ware County firmly in the higher-risk third of Georgia, a fact landlords and investors should weigh before committing capital here. Average rent across the county sits at $768, and with a rent-burden rate of 33.6%, a meaningful share of tenants are already stretched thin each month.

The county's 4 cities spread across a wider risk band than the single headline number suggests, running from 2 to 2.7 out of 10. That intra-county range means operating conditions vary considerably depending on which community you target, and a portfolio strategy that treats the county as uniform is likely to overprice risk in some corners while underpricing it in others.

The cities inside Ware County

Waycross dominates the picture. With a population of 13,756, it accounts for the vast majority of the county's 14,081 total residents and carries the county's peak risk score of 2.7/10. Nonpayment pressure is real here: a 34.2% average poverty rate and a renter share of 53% of households create conditions where lease defaults occur with some regularity. Landlords operating in Waycross should budget for occasional collection actions and plan cash reserves accordingly.

The smaller communities tell a different story. Manor scores 2.1/10 (population 136), Waresboro comes in at 2/10 (population 108), and Waresboro carries the county's lowest risk at 2/10 (population 81). Those scores reflect materially lower eviction pressure, though the thin populations mean rental inventory is limited and tenant pools are small. Risk here is genuinely hyper-local: a landlord holding units in Waycross faces a meaningfully different operating environment than one holding the same number of units in Dixie Union.

State-level laws that apply here

Georgia state law under O.C.G.A. § 44-7 (Landlord and Tenant) governs every lease in Ware County. For nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation, landlords must serve a 3-day notice before filing (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50). A holdover or no-cause termination requires a longer 60-day notice (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7), while an end-of-lease-term situation requires no advance notice at all under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50. Once a case is filed, an uncontested matter typically resolves in 14 to 30 days; a contested proceeding stretches to 45 to 90 days. Court filing fees run $60 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add another $25 to $100, and attorney fees range $500 to $3,000, so total out-of-pocket costs on a contested case can reach the high end of those ranges in combination. Landlords researching the full Georgia eviction process or wanting a breakdown of Georgia eviction costs should review those statewide guides. On the regulatory side, Georgia preempts local rent control under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19, so no Ware County municipality can cap rents, and no just-cause requirement exists at the state level, giving landlords broad flexibility to non-renew at lease end.

With 53% of Ware County households renting and a poverty rate of 34.2%, the financial pressure on tenants is above average statewide -- review the city grid above to identify which of the county's 4 cities best fits your risk tolerance before investing.