Caldwell County, Kentucky Eviction Risk: Very Low

Caldwell County sits in the lower-risk third of Kentucky's 120 counties, scoring 2.2/10 on the Eviction Risk Map scale - a Low rating that places it 103rd in the state. Put differently, 102 of Kentucky's 120 counties carry a higher eviction risk than Caldwell, making this one of the more stable rental markets in the Commonwealth. The county's total population of roughly 6,707 is concentrated almost entirely in Princeton, the county seat, which alone accounts for 6,241 residents and matches the county average score of 2.2/10. The smaller community of Fredonia (466 residents) scores slightly lower at 1.9/10, the floor for the county.

The rental market here is modest but meaningful. Average asking rent sits at $775 per month, and renters make up 44.6% of occupied housing units - a share well above the typical rural Kentucky county. Average rent burden lands at 27.2% of household income, which keeps most households below the standard 30% stress threshold, though the 13.6% poverty rate means a notable slice of the renter population is operating close to that edge. Landlords considering the county should note that low aggregate risk does not eliminate individual tenant financial fragility - a concentrated low-income renter pool can still generate collection pressure even in a landlord-favorable legal environment.

On the legal side, Kentucky's KRS § 383.500 et seq. (the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) is the governing framework statewide. Caldwell County benefits from the full landlord toolkit that statute provides: a 7-day pay-or-quit notice for non-payment of rent, a 14-day cure notice for lease violations, and a 30-day no-cause notice at the end of a term. The state preempts local rent control, so no city or county in Kentucky - including Princeton or Fredonia - can cap rents or impose just-cause eviction requirements. Court filing fees run $150 to $250, sheriff lockout fees range $40 to $150, and an uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 45 days. Contested proceedings can stretch 45 to 120 days, and attorney fees for a contested case commonly run $500 to $2,500. Retaliation protections for tenants are codified under KRS § 383.705, and habitability obligations fall under KRS § 383.595 - both worth reviewing before structuring lease terms. Fair housing complaints in the county route through the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. Source-of-income (housing voucher) discrimination is not a protected class under Kentucky state law, which gives landlords flexibility in tenant screening that would not exist in states like California eviction laws or Washington eviction laws.

Caldwell County's Low score reflects a combination of modest rent levels, a legally landlord-favorable state framework with no rent control and no just-cause requirement, and a small but stable rental market anchored by Princeton.