Johnston County, North Carolina Eviction Risk: Low

Johnston County, North Carolina scores 2.6/10 (Low) on average across its 10 cities, placing it in the higher-risk third of the state. With 26 North Carolina counties rated riskier and 73 rated less risky, landlords and investors here face above-average friction compared to most of the state. Average rent sits at $1,240, and a rent-burden rate of 31.8% signals that a meaningful share of tenants are stretched thin, a condition that correlates with elevated nonpayment risk.

The intra-county spread, from 4.2/10 to 5.1/10, shows that conditions vary noticeably depending on which community you invest in. A landlord in Archer Lodge is operating in a meaningfully different environment from one in Clayton eviction risk or Smithfield, even though they fall under the same county lines. That spread demands city-level diligence before committing capital.

The cities inside Johnston County

The highest-risk locations in the county are Wilson's Mills (pop. 29,320, score 3.1/10), Smithfield (pop. 12,116, score 2.9/10), and Selma (pop. 6,817, score 2.5/10). These three share the county's peak score, and combined they represent the majority of the county's renter population. Four Oaks and Princeton also score 2.7/10, keeping the mid-tier of the county firmly in elevated-risk territory.

Investors looking for the softest conditions within Johnston County should look toward Archer Lodge, which scores 2/10, the lowest in the county. Wilson's Mills and Pine Level both score 3.1/10, offering somewhat more landlord-favorable dynamics than the county average. The point is not that any of these markets is low-risk in absolute terms, but that risk is hyper-local: the difference between the best and worst Johnston County market is nearly a full point on the scale.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Johnston County operates under N.C.G.S. § 42 (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment, North Carolina state law requires a 10-day notice before filing. A material lease breach or holdover after lease expiration carries no statutory cure period, allowing immediate court action. Month-to-month terminations require 7 days notice. Understanding the full North Carolina eviction process, including hearing timelines that run 21 to 45 days for uncontested cases and 45 to 100 days for contested ones, is essential before acquiring rental property here.

On the cost side, the North Carolina eviction costs a landlord can expect include a court filing fee of $150 to $200, a sheriff lockout fee of $30 to $125, and attorney fees typically ranging from $500 to $2,500. North Carolina does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy and, through state preemption, prohibits local rent-control ordinances, which is a meaningful structural advantage for landlords. Source of income is not a protected class under state law, giving landlords more screening flexibility than in many other states.

With an average poverty rate of 17.6% and 38.4% of households renting, Johnston County carries a tenant-base profile that warrants careful screening, lease structuring, and city-level risk review, details available in the city grid above.