Washington County, Tennessee Eviction Risk: Very Low

Washington County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.2/10, placing it in the Low-risk tier and, notably, at rank 95 of 95 Tennessee counties, meaning 94 counties statewide score higher and not one scores lower. For landlords and investors operating across this county's 9 cities, that translates to a market where tenant-side stress indicators, eviction filing rates, and economic distress are among the mildest in the state. Average rent sits at $1,016 per month against a rent-burden rate of 29.4%, and renters make up roughly 45% of occupied housing, a substantial pool of potential tenants in a county where operating conditions tilt clearly in the landlord's favor.

The intra-county range runs from 1.5 to 2.5, a spread that matters in practice. Even within a low-risk county, the city you choose to buy in can meaningfully shift your exposure. Investors treating Washington County as a monolithic safe harbor should look closer at individual submarkets before committing capital.

The cities inside Washington County

Johnson City, the county seat and by far the largest city at a population of 72,222, anchors the low-risk end with a score of 1.5/10. It is the dominant rental market in the county and also its most landlord-favorable, which makes it the natural first look for investors seeking scale alongside stability.

At the other end of the county, Jonesborough (population 6,232) posts the highest score at 2.5/10, followed by Gray at 2.4/10 and both Spurgeon and Fall Branch at 2.2/10. These are still low scores in any absolute sense, but they do represent meaningfully different operating conditions from Johnson City. Smaller communities like Sullivan Gardens (1.7/10) and Embreeville (1.7/10) fall closer to the county average. Risk in Washington County is genuinely hyper-local, and the city-level data in the grid above is the most precise lens available.

State-level laws that apply here

Tennessee eviction laws state law governs the eviction framework here. Washington County falls under the Tennessee eviction laws Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (T.C.A. § 66-28), which sets a 7-day notice to quit for nonpayment of rent, a 14-day notice for material lease breaches, and a 3-day notice for non-curable breaches. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested case can run 45 to 120 days. Landlords should budget for filing fees of $200 to $300, sheriff lockout fees of $40 to $150, and attorney fees of $500 to $2,500 if counsel is retained. Tennessee eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction, and the state preempts local rent control ordinances, so no city in the county can impose rent caps above what state law allows. For a fuller breakdown of costs and timelines, the Tennessee eviction laws eviction process and Tennessee eviction costs guides cover the procedural steps in detail. Landlords sourcing tenants in a high-renter-share market like this one should also review Tennessee security deposit limits, which are set at the state level and apply uniformly across all 95 counties.

With a poverty rate of 16% and renters comprising 45% of the county's housing base, Washington County presents real tenant-side economic pressure despite its low overall risk score, making city-level due diligence, reflected in the grid above, the essential next step for any investor evaluating specific submarkets.