Jackson County, Kentucky Eviction Risk: Very Low

Jackson County sits in the southeastern Kentucky highlands with a total renter population of roughly 1,951 residents, about 29.6% of county households renting at an average of $340 per month. That figure is well below statewide averages, reflecting the deeply rural character of this Appalachian county, where the average poverty rate stands at 30.1% and rent burden - the share of household income going to housing costs - runs at 30.7%. Despite those economic headwinds for tenants, the county earns a Low eviction risk score of 2.3/10, placing it 81st of 120 Kentucky counties. That ranking means 80 counties statewide carry higher landlord risk; only 39 are more landlord-friendly.

The county's two tracked communities tell slightly different stories. Annville, the larger community at 1,063 residents, scores 2.1/10 - the lowest in the county. McKee, the county seat at 888 residents, posts the highest local score at 2.6/10. Neither community introduces rent control, just-cause eviction requirements, or tenant screening mandates at the local level, and Kentucky's preemption statute bars any such local ordinances statewide. The result is a rental market where the governing rules flow entirely from state statute.

That statute is KRS § 383.500 et seq. (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), which sets a 7-day notice for non-payment of rent, a 14-day notice for lease violations with opportunity to cure, and a 30-day notice for no-cause terminations at end of term. Court filing fees run $150 to $250, sheriff lockout fees range $40 to $150, and attorney fees in contested matters typically fall between $500 and $2,500. An uncontested eviction resolves in roughly 21 to 45 days; a contested matter extends to 45 to 120 days. Source of income is not a protected class under Kentucky fair housing law, giving landlords discretion over tenant screening criteria beyond federal protected classes. Habitability obligations are codified at KRS § 383.595, and retaliation protections for tenants are governed by KRS § 383.705 - both of which set defined duties that, when followed, reduce landlord exposure considerably.

Jackson County's Low score reflects a lean regulatory environment with no local rent caps or just-cause rules, though a poverty rate above 30% and a rent burden near 30.7% signal that tenant financial stress - and the eviction filings that follow - remain a real operational factor for landlords here.