Metcalfe County, Kentucky Eviction Risk: Low

Metcalfe County carries a 2.5/10 eviction risk score, placing it in the Low category and ranking it 40th among 120 Kentucky counties. That position means 39 counties in the state carry higher eviction risk, putting Metcalfe in the higher-risk third of Kentucky eviction laws despite its Low label - a distinction that matters for landlords managing properties in a county where 30.9% of residents live below the poverty line. With a total tracked population of 2,862 renters and an average monthly rent of $621, the market is small but the financial stress on tenants is real: the average rent burden sits at 19.4% of income, and renters make up 42.9% of households - a share that exceeds what many expect from a rural south-central Kentucky county.

The two tracked cities in the county tell a consistent story. Edmonton, the county seat with a population of 2,330, scores 2.6/10 - the highest risk point in the county. Summer Shade, a much smaller community of 532 residents, scores 2.1/10. The narrow spread between these scores (2.1 to 2.6) reflects the county's relatively uniform risk profile: no single locality is dramatically more volatile than another, which helps landlords with multi-property portfolios predict consistent outcomes across the county. Edmonton's slightly elevated score tracks with its larger tenant population and the concentration of lower-income households in the county seat that is typical of rural Kentucky.

Kentucky eviction law is governed by KRS § 383.500 et seq. (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), and Metcalfe County falls squarely under its terms. For non-payment of rent, landlords must serve a 7-day notice to pay or quit before filing. Lease violations require a 14-day cure notice, and end-of-term no-cause terminations require 30 days notice under the same statute. Once filed, court costs run $150 to $250 to initiate an eviction action, with sheriff lockout fees adding another $40 to $150. Uncontested cases in Kentucky typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested matters stretch to 45 to 120 days, and attorney fees range from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. There is no rent control in Metcalfe County - Kentucky's state preemption statute blocks any municipality from enacting rent caps, and no just-cause eviction requirement exists under state law. Source-of-income is not a protected class under Kentucky fair housing rules, meaning landlords are not required to accept housing vouchers. The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights handles fair housing complaints under KRS § 383.705 (retaliation) and KRS § 383.595 (habitability). Landlords operating in Edmonton or Summer Shade should be aware that the habitability statute creates enforceable tenant rights to a livable unit, and retaliation against tenants who assert those rights carries statutory liability.

Metcalfe County's 2.5/10 average masks a 42.9% renter share and a 30.9% poverty rate that together create the underlying pressure behind its higher-risk-third ranking in Kentucky eviction laws - even at Low overall severity, the tenant financial stress indicators here are worth monitoring.