Smith County, Mississippi Eviction Risk: Very Low

Smith County carries a county-average eviction-risk score of 3/10 (Low), placing it among the more landlord-friendly markets in Mississippi eviction laws. Ranked 76 out of 82 counties statewide on a scale where rank 1 equals the highest risk, 75 Mississippi counties post higher risk scores, and only 6 are considered lower risk. For investors evaluating rural Mississippi eviction laws, that position in the lower-risk third of the state is a meaningful signal: tenant-law exposure here is below average, and the operating environment is comparatively stable.

The five scored cities inside Smith County span a narrow band, from a low of 2.1/10 to a high of 3.1/10, a range tight enough that county-level averages actually tell most of the story. Average rent runs $634 per month across the county, and roughly 22% of households rent rather than own, which limits portfolio scale but also limits tenant-pool volatility. Rent burden averages 31.5% of renter income, a number that warrants attention when screening applicants for payment reliability.

The cities inside Smith County

Taylorsville is the county seat and its largest city by population (1,650), and it posts the highest risk score in the county at 3.1/10. That is still a Low score in absolute terms, but landlords concentrating units there should expect the tightest local conditions the county offers. Raleigh (1,118 residents, score 3/10) and Polkville (713 residents, score 3/10) sit at the county average, giving investors a mid-tier option in each of the county's two next-largest communities. Mize scores 2.9/10, and Sylvarena, the county's smallest tracked city at 123 residents, scores 2.1/10, the lowest in Smith County. That one-point spread between Taylorsville and Sylvarena is a reminder that risk is hyper-local: even in a uniformly low-risk county, the specific city matters when underwriting a deal.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Smith County is governed by Mississippi eviction laws state law under Miss. Code SS 89-8 (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, the required notice period is 3 days. Lease violations carrying a cure option require 14 days notice, and a no-cause or end-of-term termination requires 30 days. Understanding the Mississippi eviction laws eviction process from notice through judgment is essential here because uncontested cases still take 30 to 60 days, and contested matters can run 60 to 120 days, during which carrying costs accumulate. On the cost side, Mississippi eviction costs break down to a court filing fee of $75 to $150, a sheriff or constable lockout fee of $30 to $120, and attorney fees that typically range from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity. Mississippi eviction laws does not require just cause for nonrenewal, and the state preempts local rent-control ordinances, so investors face no patchwork of local caps anywhere in the county.

With a poverty rate of 21.8% and renters making up 22% of households, applicant screening discipline matters in Smith County; the city-by-city grid above lets you compare individual market conditions before committing to a specific location.