Blair County, Pennsylvania Eviction Risk: Moderate

Blair County, Pennsylvania eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 5.1/10 (Moderate), placing it 28th of 67 Pennsylvania counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk and rank 28 means 27 counties carry more risk than Blair while 39 are less risky. For landlords, that middle-third position signals a workable but not frictionless market: average rent runs $866 per month, roughly 32.3% of households rent, and the rent-burden rate sits at 29.8%, meaning a meaningful share of tenants are spending close to 30 cents of every dollar earned on housing. Those financial pressures can translate directly to late payments and, eventually, eviction filings.

The county-wide score, however, masks meaningful variation. Across 86 cities and communities, individual risk scores span from 2.8 to 6.2 out of 10. An investor acquiring a portfolio on the strength of the county average alone may be surprised to find some ZIP codes operating near the top of the risk range while others sit comfortably in low-risk territory. Hyperlocal due diligence is not optional here.

The cities inside Blair County

The highest single score in the county belongs to Foot of Ten, which scores 6.2/10, the ceiling of Blair County's range. Altoona, the county seat and by far the largest city at 43,196 residents, scores 5.7/10, noticeably above the county average. Homewood at Martinsburg (5.5/10), Duncansville (5.4/10), and Tyrone (5,377 residents, 5.3/10) round out the elevated-risk tier. Landlords concentrating holdings in Altoona or Tyrone should price in that additional risk when underwriting deals.

On the lower end of the scale, Martinsburg scores 3.3/10, Loop scores 4/10, and Roaring Spring scores 4.2/10. These communities still sit within Pennsylvania's broader regulatory environment but show significantly less eviction pressure relative to the county's riskier pockets. The spread between Foot of Ten's 6.2 and Martinsburg's 3.3 is wide enough to materially affect expected operating costs and vacancy recovery timelines.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Blair County operates under 68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq. (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951). Notice requirements vary by situation: nonpayment of rent triggers a 10-day notice under 68 P.S. § 250.501(b), a material breach on a tenancy under one year requires 15 days, and a material breach on a tenancy of one year or more requires 30 days. End-of-lease terminations require no additional notice period under 68 P.S. § 250.501(c). Once a case reaches the courthouse, the Pennsylvania eviction process typically takes 30 to 60 days uncontested and 60 to 150 days if contested. Pennsylvania does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so landlords in Blair County face no local rent-cap exposure.

Costs add up quickly even in straightforward cases. Court filing fees run $130 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add another $50 to $150, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $3,000 depending on complexity. Landlords should factor those figures into their hold-or-sell math. For a full breakdown, the Pennsylvania eviction costs guide and the Pennsylvania tenant protections overview both provide statute-level detail worth reviewing before your first filing.

With a poverty rate of 14.6% and renters making up 32.3% of households, Blair County carries genuine underlying financial stress, and that stress is not distributed evenly, as the city-by-city grid above makes clear.