Grayson County, Kentucky Eviction Risk: Very Low

Grayson County sits in west-central Kentucky with a total renter population spread across roughly 8,443 residents in four tracked cities. The county's average eviction risk score lands at 2.3/10 (Low), placing it 80th among Kentucky eviction laws's 120 counties - meaning 79 counties carry higher risk and only 40 are more landlord-friendly. That ranking puts Grayson firmly in the lower-risk third of the state, a position driven by relatively modest rents and a legal framework that still gives landlords straightforward tools to act when tenants default.

The cost side of the equation is telling. Average rent in the county runs $622 per month, and the average rent burden - what renters spend on housing as a share of income - sits at 25.8%. That is below the commonly cited 30% stress threshold, which limits the frequency of payment crises that trigger eviction filings. At the same time, 24.4% of residents fall below the poverty line, a figure that warrants attention: poverty at that level means thin financial cushions when income disruptions hit, and 50.1% of the population rents rather than owns, so any economic shock ripples widely through the rental market. Leitchfield, the county seat and by far its largest city at 6,819 residents, posts a score of 2.3/10 consistent with the county average. Clarkson (865 residents, score 2.5/10) and Big Clifty (285 residents, score 2.8/10) show modestly elevated readings - Big Clifty is the riskiest city in the county, though still well within the Low band. Caneyville, at 474 residents and a score of 2.2/10, is the county's lowest-risk municipality.

Kentucky's governing statute is KRS § 383.500 et seq. (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), which sets the procedural clock for landlords. Non-payment of rent requires a 7-day notice before filing; lease violations carry a 14-day cure period; no-cause terminations at end of term require 30 days. Court filing fees run $150 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $150, and attorneys typically charge $500 to $2,500 for an eviction matter. Uncontested cases close in roughly 21 to 45 days; contested cases can stretch to 120 days. Kentucky state law also preempts any local rent control ordinance, so no city in Grayson County can cap rents independently. There is no just-cause eviction requirement and source-of-income is not a protected class under state law - two factors that ease the landlord's legal burden relative to more tenant-protective states. The retaliation prohibition under KRS § 383.705 and the habitability standard under KRS § 383.595 still apply and should be part of any landlord's compliance checklist.

Grayson County's Low risk score reflects a combination of below-stress-threshold rent burdens, a landlord-friendly state statute, and a small, largely rural rental market concentrated in Leitchfield - though the county's 24.4% poverty rate is a persistent pressure point that landlords and tenants alike should watch.