Crawford County, Pennsylvania Eviction Risk: Moderate

Crawford County carries an average eviction-risk score of 4.5/10 (Moderate), landing it squarely in the middle of the Pennsylvania county rankings: 33 counties are riskier, and 33 are less risky. For landlords and investors sizing up this northwest Pennsylvania market, that midpoint rating reflects a county where operating conditions are workable but far from frictionless. With 43.7% of residents renting and a poverty rate of 17%, tenant financial stress is real, and a meaningful share of leases will run into collection or eviction pressure at some point in the hold period.

Across the county's 28 cities and communities, scores range from 3 to 5.8, a spread wide enough that submarket selection within Crawford County matters considerably. The average rent across the county sits at $785, and renters spend 29.2% of income on housing on average, a burden level that keeps default risk elevated relative to higher-income suburban markets elsewhere in the state.

The cities inside Crawford County

The county seat, Meadville, is where risk concentrates most. At 5.4/10, it is the highest-scoring community in Crawford County, and with a population of 12,577 it is by far the largest. Investors drawn to Meadville's size and rental volume should budget for a more active eviction environment than the county average alone suggests. Cochranton, at 3.8/10, and Cambridge Springs, at 4.2/10 (population 2,408), also sit in elevated territory, while Conneautville comes in at 5.9/10.

Risk drops sharply in other parts of the county. Pymatuning Central scores 3.2/10, the lowest in the data set, and Titusville, the county's second-largest community at 5,189 residents, scores 4.5/10, meaningfully below the county average. Linesville and Fredericksburg each score 3.4/10. The practical takeaway: two landlords operating in the same county can face dramatically different eviction frequencies depending on which community they choose.

State-level laws that apply here

Pennsylvania's Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq.) governs all residential tenancies in Crawford County. Notice requirements before filing are tiered by circumstance: nonpayment of rent triggers a 10-day notice, a material breach on a tenancy shorter than one year requires 15 days, and a material breach on a tenancy of one year or more requires 30 days. End-of-lease-term terminations require no advance notice under 68 P.S. § 250.501(c). The Pennsylvania eviction process, once a landlord files, runs 30 to 60 days for uncontested cases and can extend to 60 to 150 days when a tenant contests. Court filing fees run $130 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $150, and attorney fees range from $500 to $3,000, so landlords should plan for Pennsylvania eviction costs totaling anywhere from roughly $680 to $3,400 in hard out-of-pocket expenses before counting lost rent.

Pennsylvania does not require just cause for non-renewal, and the state preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no municipality in Crawford County can cap rent increases. Retaliation and habitability obligations are codified at 68 P.S. § 250.205 and 68 P.S. § 250.206 respectively. Pennsylvania security deposit limits are set at the state level and apply uniformly across all Crawford County tenancies. Fair housing complaints are handled through the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

With a poverty rate of 17% and renters making up 43.7% of the population, Crawford County's risk picture is uneven: the city grid above shows exactly which communities cluster near the top of that 3 to 5.8 score range and which offer a calmer operating environment.