Carson County, Texas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Carson County sits in the Texas Panhandle roughly 30 miles east of Amarillo, covering about 923 square miles of high-plains ranch and agricultural land. With a total population of approximately 4,702 residents spread across four incorporated communities, it is one of the more sparsely settled counties in the state. The rental market reflects that character: only about 22.1% of housing units are renter-occupied, average rent runs $983 per month, and rent burden sits at 22.3% - well below the 30% threshold that most housing analysts treat as a stress indicator. Poverty stands at 8.8%, lower than the statewide figure. In practical terms, this is a market where tenant financial distress is relatively uncommon, which is a primary driver of the county's 2/10 (Very Low) eviction risk score.

Carson County ranks 237th of 254 Texas counties on the Eviction Risk Map index, placing it firmly in the lower-risk of the state. Scores within the county range from 1.9 to 2.4 across its four cities. Panhandle, the county seat and largest community at roughly 2,505 residents, carries the lowest individual score at 1.9/10 - reflecting its relatively stable tenant population and limited turnover in the rental stock. White Deer (population 1,191) scores 2.1/10, influenced by a slightly higher concentration of lower-income renter households compared to Panhandle. Groom (population 549), best known as the site of the large roadside cross visible from Interstate 40, comes in at 2/10. Skellytown, a small community of about 457 residents in the northwestern part of the county, carries the highest score at 2.4/10 - largely because its renter share and poverty rate run modestly above the county average for its size. None of these scores represent an elevated risk environment; the spread from 1.9 to 2.4 indicates that variation within the county is narrow.

The Texas legal framework that governs all Carson County landlords is defined primarily by Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92. Texas requires only a 3-day written notice before filing for eviction for non-payment of rent, lease violations, and end-of-term holdovers under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005. Squatter situations under the 2021 SB-38 amendment (codified at Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011) allow immediate action with no notice period required. Court filing fees in Carson County run between $54 and $125 depending on the justice of the peace precinct; sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $175 on top of that. Uncontested cases typically wrap up in 21 to 30 days from filing; contested matters extend to 45 to 90 days. Texas does not require just cause for non-renewal, does not protect source of income at the state level, and under TX Local Gov Code §214.902 expressly preempts any local government from enacting rent control - meaning Carson County landlords face no rent cap exposure now or in the foreseeable future. The county's combination of low tenant-stress indicators, a landlord-favorable state statute, and minimal local regulatory friction produces one of the lower eviction risk profiles in Texas.

Carson County's Very Low risk score of 2/10 reflects a rural Panhandle rental market where rent burden is low, renter concentration is modest, and Texas eviction laws's 3-day notice statute gives landlords one of the shortest pre-filing windows in the country. With Texas eviction laws counties carrying higher risk scores, Carson ranks well toward the landlord-friendly end of the state spectrum.