Culberson County, Texas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Culberson County sits in the far reaches of West Texas, wedged between the Davis Mountains and the New Mexico border along I-10. With a total population of roughly 1,908 residents and a single incorporated municipality - Van Horn (1.9/10) - this is one of the most sparsely settled counties in the state. Despite that isolation, the landlord-tenant framework here is straightforward and decidedly owner-favorable: Culberson County earns an eviction risk score of 1.9/10 (Very Low), placing it 247th of 254 Texas counties, with 246 counties carrying higher risk and just a handful scoring lower. Scores in the county range from 1.9 to 1.9.

The county's low risk profile stems from a combination of structural factors that rarely appear together this cleanly. Rent burden here averages just 13.1% of household income - well below the 30% threshold that housing economists use to define financial stress - meaning most tenants are not living paycheck-to-paycheck on housing costs alone. The renter share of households is 32.8%, typical for a rural Texas county, and the average asking rent of $1,043 per month reflects the limited multifamily stock in Van Horn rather than any significant price pressure. Poverty is elevated at 18.7%, a pattern common across the Trans-Pecos region, but that has not translated into the chronic delinquency cycles that drive eviction filings in higher-risk urban counties. Texas law under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005 requires only a 3-day written notice before filing for non-payment of rent, a lease violation, or end-of-term holdover - one of the shortest statutory cure windows in the country. For an unauthorized occupant, no notice period applies at all under SB-38 (Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011). Court filing fees in Texas Justice of the Peace courts run $54 to $125, and an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 30 days from filing. A contested matter can extend to 45 to 90 days, but contested eviction hearings in Culberson County are rare given the small tenant population and the absence of tenant legal-aid infrastructure in this part of the state.

Texas preempts local rent control statewide under TX Local Gov Code §214.902, which means no city or county government - including any future Culberson County municipality - can impose rent caps or just-cause eviction requirements. No just-cause standard exists under Texas law, so a landlord with a month-to-month lease can terminate without stating a reason, provided the 3-day written notice is properly served. Source-of-income protections (e.g., Section 8 voucher discrimination bans) are also absent at the state level. Compared to the Texas statewide average of 2.6/10, Culberson County is materially lower risk - a meaningful gap that reflects the difference between a quiet rural county and the large metro areas that push the state figure higher. Van Horn, the county seat and only city, scores 1.9/10, consistent with the county average since it accounts for the county's entire incorporated population.

Culberson County's 1.9/10 (Very Low) score reflects a landlord environment shaped by short statutory notice periods, low rent burden, and no local tenant-protection overlay. The county ranks 247th of 254 in Texas eviction laws, meaning 246 counties present greater eviction exposure for property owners. With only one city - Van Horn at 1.9/10 - the county score and city score are effectively the same data point. The Texas statewide average is 2.6/10.