Williamson County, Tennessee Eviction Risk: Very Low

Williamson County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2/10 (Low), placing it among the two least-risky counties in Tennessee out of 95 total. Ninety-two Tennessee counties score higher, which tells landlords and investors something concrete: the operating environment here is unusually stable. Across the county's 5 tracked cities, scores run from 1.4 to 2.3, a narrow band that reflects a market where tenant-payment stress and eviction pressure are structurally low. Average rent sits at $2,189, and the average rent burden of 29.4% of income keeps most tenants financially above water.

With a total county population of 166,066 and only 24.5% of households renting, the renter pool here is smaller and, by poverty-rate indicators, more financially stable than in most Tennessee markets. A poverty rate of just 4.3% across the county is among the lowest in the state and directly suppresses the kind of income disruptions that drive late payments and evictions. For a buy-and-hold investor, those fundamentals translate to lower turnover costs and more predictable cash flow.

The cities inside Williamson County

Risk is not uniform across the county. Thompson's Station is the highest-risk city in Williamson County with a score of 2.3/10, and Fairview follows at 2.2/10. Both are smaller communities, with Thompson's Station home to 8,294 residents and Fairview to 10,009. Their scores are still solidly in the Low-risk tier, but landlords should price that modest additional risk into vacancy assumptions and lease screening practices for those markets.

Franklin, the county seat and by far the largest city at 87,133 residents, posts the county's lowest score at 1.4/10, making it one of the most landlord-favorable large markets in the state. Brentwood (45,556 residents, score 2.1/10) and Nolensville (15,074 residents, score 2.0/10) round out the middle tier. Even the riskiest city here would be a low-risk outlier in many other Tennessee counties, so the intra-county spread matters primarily for fine-grained portfolio decisions rather than as a warning signal.

State-level laws that apply here

Williamson County is subject to Tennessee state law under T.C.A. § 66-28 (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). For nonpayment of rent in URLTA counties, the required notice period is 7 days under TCA § 66-28-505; a material lease breach requires 14 days notice; and a non-curable breach triggers a 3-day notice under TCA § 66-28-517. Understanding the full Tennessee eviction process is essential before filing, because timeline estimates for uncontested cases range from 21 to 45 days, while contested evictions can stretch 45 to 120 days.

On the cost side, Tennessee eviction costs include a court filing fee of $200 to $300, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $150, and attorney fees that commonly run $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Tennessee has no rent control and no just-cause eviction requirement, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so landlords operate under a single, predictable statewide framework. Source-of-income is not a protected class under state law, though fair housing complaints route through the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.

With a county poverty rate of just 4.3% and only 24.5% of households renting, Williamson County's low-risk score reflects genuine economic resilience, not just favorable laws; see the city grid above to compare individual market scores before committing to a specific submarket.