Franklin County, New York Eviction Risk: High

Franklin County carries an average eviction-risk score of 8.1/10, placing it in the High tier. That figure represents the average across 9 tracked cities in the county, and it should give landlords and investors in New York pause before assuming any corner of this market is routine. According to the rank_meaning for this county, 43 of New York's 60 counties score higher, meaning Franklin County sits in the lower-risk third of the state overall, yet its absolute score still signals challenging operating conditions rooted in a 45.5% renter share, a 17.4% poverty rate, and an average monthly rent of just $809.

The intra-county spread, from 7.8 to 8.9, tells an important part of the story. A landlord holding units in the county's lowest-scoring community faces a meaningfully different risk profile than one concentrated in the highest-scoring municipalities. That one-point gap translates to real differences in tenant economic stress and collection reliability, so acquisition decisions should never rest on the county average alone.

The cities inside Franklin County

The highest-risk cities in the county are Malone (score 8/10, population 5,429) and Saranac Lake (score 8/10, population 4,965), tied at the top of the county's range. Both are the county's two most populous cities, which means the greatest concentration of rental units sits precisely where eviction risk is highest. Tupper Lake (score 8.3/10, population 2,929) is nearly as elevated, followed by Chateaugay and Burke, both scoring 8.4/10.

The lower end of the county's range is led by Brushton at 8.4/10, the only city touching the county floor. Paul Smiths and St. Regis Falls both score 7.8/10. These are considerably smaller communities, but the score gap relative to Malone and Saranac Lake is real and should factor into portfolio concentration decisions. Risk in Franklin County is hyper-local, and the city-level grid below is the right starting point for any underwriting conversation.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Franklin County is governed by New York eviction risk state law under N.Y. RPL SS 226 et seq. and RPAPL SS 711. Notice requirements vary by the reason for removal: a nonpayment case requires a 14-day notice under RPAPL SS 711(2), while a material lease violation requires only 10 days under RPAPL SS 711(1). Holdover timelines depend on tenancy length: 30 days for tenancies under one year, 60 days for one to two years, and 90 days for tenancies of two or more years, all under RPL SS 226-c. New York eviction risk's just-cause eviction requirement applies statewide, which limits the circumstances under which a landlord may remove a tenant even after a lease expires. Rent control applicability varies by locality, and New York does not preempt local rent-control ordinances.

On costs, the New York eviction process carries court filing fees ranging from $45 to $210, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $200, and attorney fees typically running $1,000 to $4,000. An uncontested case can resolve in 30 to 90 days; a contested case stretches to 90 to 210 days. A full breakdown of New York eviction costs and the step-by-step New York eviction process is covered in the statewide guides. Security deposits and tenant protections add additional compliance obligations that affect lease drafting and move-out procedures across the county.

With a poverty rate of 17.4% and 45.5% of residents renting, tenant economic stress is a persistent baseline condition in Franklin County; the city-level scores in the grid above identify where that pressure is most concentrated.