Quay County, New Mexico Eviction Risk: Low

Quay County, New Mexico eviction laws carries a county-wide average eviction-risk score of 4/10, placing it in the Moderate tier. With 22 of New Mexico's 34 counties scoring higher, Quay County sits in the lower-risk third of the state, which is a relative advantage for landlords, though it does not mean operating here is without friction. Across the county's 4 cities, conditions vary enough that a blanket assumption about ease of operation can leave investors exposed in the wrong market.

Average rent runs $749 per month against a rent burden of 31.7%, meaning the average renter is stretching a meaningful share of income to cover housing. A poverty rate of 32.1% across the county's roughly 6,153 residents adds to that picture. Together, those figures suggest a tenant base with limited financial cushion, which elevates the practical risk of non-payment even where the legal environment is relatively manageable. Investors should price that reality into underwriting, not just the risk score.

The cities inside Quay County

Risk inside Quay County is genuinely hyper-local. Tucumcari, the county seat and by far its largest city at a population of 5,160, posts the highest individual score at 4.2/10. It accounts for the bulk of the county's rental activity and sets the practical ceiling for risk here. Nara Visa, a much smaller community of 151 residents, comes in close behind at 4.1/10, and San Jon (population 102) sits at 3.8/10. Landlords active in any of those three towns should not assume the county average softens their exposure.

Logan is the clear outlier on the favorable end, scoring 2.7/10 with a population of 740. That spread, from 2.7 to 4.2 across four cities, is wide enough to matter for site selection decisions. A portfolio tilted toward Logan looks meaningfully different from one concentrated in Tucumcari, even though both sit within the same county boundaries.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Quay County operate under the New Mexico Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act, NMSA Section 47-8. For non-payment of rent, state law requires only a 3-day notice before filing. Lease violations carrying a cure option require a 7-day notice, and a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. Those notice windows are among the shorter ones available in the region. New Mexico does not require just cause for most terminations, and there is no state-level rent control formula in effect, giving landlords meaningful flexibility on pricing and renewal decisions. Entry requires 24 hours advance notice under the statute.

On the cost side, understanding the New Mexico eviction process and the New Mexico eviction costs matters before committing capital here. Court filing fees range from $132 to $200, sheriff lockout fees run $50 to $175, and attorney fees span $500 to $3,000 depending on complexity. An uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested one can stretch from 45 to 120 days. That upper range is where carrying costs accumulate fast, especially against an average rent of $749.

With 29.1% of residents renting and a poverty rate of 32.1%, Quay County's fundamentals reward landlords who underwrite carefully at the city level; the individual scores for Tucumcari, Logan, Nara Visa, and San Jon above give the granular starting point that the county average alone cannot.