Burleson County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Burleson County sits in the Brazos Valley region of central Texas, roughly 70 miles northeast of Austin and 100 miles northwest of Houston. The county covers about 665 square miles and holds an estimated 8,220 residents, with Caldwell serving as the county seat and largest city. With a renter share of 27.7% and an average monthly rent of $862, the local rental market is decidedly smaller and more affordable than the urban Texas eviction laws metros that dominate statewide headlines. Burleson County's overall eviction risk score is 3.2/10 (Low), placing it 234th of 254 Texas counties - meaning only 20 counties statewide carry less risk for landlords than Burleson does right now.

Across the county's 8 tracked communities, scores range from a low of 3.1 to a high of 3.2, a spread that reflects meaningful differences in local renter demographics even within a small rural county. Caldwell (population 4,394, or more than half the county's total residents) scores 3.2/10 - roughly at the county average. Somerville, the second-largest city, checks in at 3.2/10, while Snook earns the county's lowest individual score at 3.2/10. At the higher end, Cade Lakes carries a score of 3.2/10, the county's peak, driven primarily by its higher rent-burden profile relative to its small residential population of 329. Beaver Creek (3.1/10) and Tunis (3.1/10) also sit above the county average, though both remain well within the Low tier. Lyons (3.2/10) and Deanville (3.1/10) complete the picture, each in the lowest tier of the county's range.

Poverty sits at 14.9% countywide, meaningfully above the Texas statewide average of roughly 13%, and rent burden - the share of renter income going toward housing costs - averages 26.2%. That combination of moderate poverty and sub-$900 rents creates a market where tenants are financially stretched but not at the acute edge seen in high-density metros. Texas law sets a strict 3-day notice period for nonpayment of rent under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a), and the state preempts any local rent control ordinance under TX Local Gov Code §214.902 - meaning no city or county in Texas can cap rents regardless of local conditions. Court filing fees in justice courts for eviction cases run $54 to $125, with sheriff lockout fees adding another $50 to $175 and attorney fees - if contested - ranging from $500 to $3,500 for a full case. Uncontested evictions typically resolve in 21 to 30 days; contested cases can extend 45 to 90 days. For landlords operating in Burleson County, the statutory framework is among the most landlord-favorable in the country, and the low eviction risk score reflects that alignment between legal structure and local market conditions.

Burleson County's Low risk designation reflects a rural Texas eviction laws market where renter density is low, rents are affordable relative to incomes, and Texas eviction laws's streamlined eviction statutes give landlords clear and fast remedies. The county's rank of 234th out of 254 Texas eviction laws counties places it firmly in the lower-risk of the state's eviction risk distribution, with 233 counties carrying higher risk scores.