Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
30.4%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Fort Wingate, NM, tenants prevail in roughly 30.4% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
76d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Fort Wingate, NM until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 76 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$2.7–6.8k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Fort Wingate, NM costs landlords $2,743 to $6,822 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,101
9% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Fort Wingate, NM is $1,101 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 9% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
74.0%
of households
74.0% of occupied housing units in Fort Wingate, NM are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
34.1%
9.1% unemp.
34.1% of Fort Wingate, NM residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 9.1%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
Dem margin +24.5% (2024)
7.2
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
7.2
State political climate
New Mexico legislature & governorship
3.9
Economic stress
34.1% poverty · 9.1% unemp.
1.0
Supply constraint
$1,101 average · 74.0% renters
8.2
Rent Control risk
9.0% of income on rent
1.0
Eviction process difficulty
76 days filing → judgment
4.0
Tenant organizing strength
74.0% renters
9.9
Housing court bias
County bench composition
1.0
Geographic context
Risk heat across Fort Wingate and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Fort Wingate compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in McKinley County
Very Low
#44of 44 cities
#44 of 44 cities in McKinley County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in New Mexico
Very Low
#517of 518 cities
#517 of 518 cities in New Mexico for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.7
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 2.7/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.9 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
76d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,101/mo. A contested eviction takes 76 days and costs $2,743–$6,822 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
74.0%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 726 residents, 74.0% rent. 9% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 34.1% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
7.2
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 7.2 and 7.2 (Dem margin +24.5% (2024)). State climate at 3.9, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
3.9
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 3.9/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 4, housing court bias 1, rent-control risk 1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-1.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
1
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 1. Supply constraint: 8.2. The numbers behind those: 34.1% poverty, 9.1% unemployment, 9% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Fort Wingate sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Fort Wingate · 76d · ~$4.8k all-in ($63/day) · score 2.7National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Fort Wingate, New Mexico, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.7/10 (LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Fort Wingate is a city of 726 residents where 74.0% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 9.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,101/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Fort Wingate eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 4/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Fort Wingate closes 76 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Fort Wingate's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 1/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Fort Wingate runs $2,743 to $6,822 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 76 days of typical timeline and $1,101/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 9.9/10 in Fort Wingate, and the city has limited rent control exposure (1/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In New Mexico, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Fort Wingate: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match New Mexico's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $6,822 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Fort Wingate
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Compare Fort Wingate to neighboring cities in McKinley County via the grid below. The 3.7/10 score is computed from nine sub-factors plus a state-law multiplier under NMSA 47-8 UORRA. McKinley County 2020 presidential margin: D+38.6. Cross-reference the state overview link in the guides section for New Mexico statutory detail.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, state-level (no county tracker available). Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 1,016 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.91× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 12,651 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 74,831.
1,016Past month
12,651Past 12 months
0.91×vs baseline (past mo)
21.2%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: at least three days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: minimum filing fee of $77 (depending on the court level).
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 – 2026-04-01
Filings climbed 5% over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant claims they lost their job?
Sympathy is fine, but your mortgage company doesn't accept sympathy. If a tenant loses their job, they still owe rent. You can offer a payment plan, but get it in writing. Otherwise, proceed with the 3-day notice. You need to protect your investment. Losing a job doesn't excuse rent payment under New Mexico law.
Q2
Can I turn off utilities if the tenant doesn't pay rent?
Absolutely not. This is an illegal "self-help" eviction and can get you into serious legal trouble, including fines and damages. Always follow the legal eviction process through the courts. It might feel slow, but it's the only safe way.
Q3
How long do I have to wait to dispose of a tenant's abandoned property?
Under NMSA § 47-8-34.1, if a tenant abandons the property, you must send a written notice to their last known address. If they don't claim the property within 10 days of the notice being mailed, you can dispose of it. Keep good records of what was left and how you disposed of it.
Q4
Can I increase rent in Fort Wingate?
Yes, New Mexico has no statewide rent control. You can increase rent, but you must provide proper notice. For month-to-month tenancies, a 30-day written notice is typically required before the next rent due date. Always check your lease for any specific clauses regarding rent increases.
Q5
Is there a specific court for evictions in McKinley County?
Eviction cases in McKinley County are typically heard in the Magistrate Court or District Court. For Fort Wingate, the McKinley County Magistrate Court is usually the first stop. Always confirm with the court clerk where to file your specific action. Our McKinley County eviction guide has more specifics.
A 2.7/10 places Fort Wingate in the 0th percentile of New Mexico cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Fort Wingate (2.7/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
