Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Eviction Risk: Moderate

Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania scores 4/10 on the eviction-risk scale, placing it in the Moderate tier and ranking 44th of 67 Pennsylvania counties, meaning 43 counties carry more risk and 23 are less risky. For landlords, that middle-of-the-pack position translates to a serviceable operating environment, one where tenant-turnover costs are real but not extreme and where the state legal framework generally works in your favor once you know how to use it.

The county's 35.2% average renter share and a $811 average monthly rent point to a workforce-driven market with relatively modest rent burdens: average rent burden sits at 24.4% of income, below the thresholds that typically push eviction rates sharply higher. Still, a 14.5% poverty rate means a meaningful slice of tenants operate close to the financial edge, and landlords who screen carefully will avoid most of the headline risk the county's lower-scoring cities can generate.

The cities inside Huntingdon County

Risk inside Huntingdon County is far from uniform. The county's 20 tracked cities span scores from 2.3 to 5.8, a 3.5-point swing that demands city-level underwriting rather than a county-wide assumption. At the top of the risk ladder sits Mount Union, scoring 5.8/10 with a population of 2,328. That score is well above the county average and flags higher tenant-turnover exposure, tighter rent-to-income margins, and a greater likelihood of contested proceedings. Huntingdon, the county seat and largest city at 6,897 residents, scores 4.6/10, a shade above the county average and consistent with the moderate risk picture the aggregate number suggests.

On the lower-risk end, Alexandria scores 4.0/10 and Saltillo scores 3.9/10, representing communities where eviction pressure is comparatively contained. McConnellstown and Three Springs each score 4.1/10, sitting close to the county average. For investors building a multi-property portfolio in this market, the spread between a 3.9 in Saltillo and a 5.8 in Mount Union is the single most actionable data point: location selection within the county matters more than the county label itself.

State-level laws that apply here

Pennsylvania state law, under 68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq. (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951), sets the procedural floor for every eviction in Huntingdon County. The required written notice depends on the reason for eviction: 10 days for nonpayment of rent, 15 days for a material breach on a tenancy under one year, and 30 days for a material breach on a tenancy of one year or more. Understanding the Pennsylvania eviction process in advance is essential, because mis-served or wrong-duration notices restart the clock and extend timelines that already run 30 to 60 days for uncontested cases and 60 to 150 days when a tenant contests.

Filing a complaint costs between $130 and $250 in court fees, with sheriff lockout fees adding $50 to $150 on top. Attorney fees range from $500 to $3,000, depending on complexity, so a contested case can easily run past the low four figures before a writ of possession is issued. Pennsylvania eviction costs are a key factor in the total cost-of-ownership math for any rental here. On the regulatory side, Pennsylvania does not require just cause for non-renewal and state law preempts local rent-control ordinances, so Huntingdon County landlords face no local rent caps or just-cause barriers beyond what the state statute provides. Pennsylvania tenant protections, however, do include anti-retaliation rules under 68 P.S. § 250.205, which landlords must navigate carefully when raising rents or declining to renew leases after a tenant complains about habitability.

With a 14.5% poverty rate and 35.2% of households renting, the underlying demand is real, but so is the financial fragility of a portion of the tenant pool. Review the city grid above to compare scores across all 20 cities before committing to a specific submarket inside Huntingdon County.