DeWitt County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

DeWitt County sits in South Texas's Coastal Bend region, anchored by Cuero - a city of roughly 8,165 residents best known as the historic "Turkey Capital of the World" - and the smaller community of Yorktown with about 1,720 residents. The county registers an eviction risk score of 3.2/10 (Low), placing it 81st out of 254 Texas counties when ranked from highest to lowest risk. That position means 80 Texas counties carry more eviction risk than DeWitt, while 173 counties post lower scores - putting DeWitt squarely in the higher-risk of the state.

Both of the county's tracked cities - Cuero at 3.8/10 and Yorktown at 3.2/10 - score identically to the county average, which reflects how uniformly the local housing market behaves. Scores range from 3.2 to 3.8 across the county, a tight spread that signals consistency rather than wide neighborhood-to-neighborhood swings. Against the Texas statewide average of 3.6/10, DeWitt County lands below the state average, meaning the eviction environment here is somewhat calmer than most of Texas. Renters make up about 33.6% of occupied housing units, and average gross rent runs $881 a month - well below what tenants pay in larger metros like San Antonio eviction risk or Austin eviction risk. The rent burden rate of 21% is notably low by Texas standards, where cities in the Rio Grande Valley or Houston eviction risk can see burden rates pushing 35% or higher. Poverty affects about 20.5% of residents, a figure that is above the statewide average and worth monitoring as a leading indicator of future rent delinquency.

On the landlord-law side, DeWitt County operates entirely under state statute - Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92 govern residential tenancies, and Texas law preempts any local rent control through TX Local Gov Code §214.902. There is no just-cause requirement for non-renewal, no source-of-income protection, and no local rent cap to navigate. Eviction notices run 3 days for non-payment (both first-time and habitually delinquent tenants under § 24.005) and 3 days for lease violations. Unauthorized occupants have no notice grace at all under SB-38. Justice-court filing fees fall between $54 and $125, with a sheriff's lockout running $50 to $175 - some of the lower carrying costs in the state. Uncontested cases typically conclude in 21 to 30 days; contested proceedings stretch to 45-90 days depending on docket load at the DeWitt County Justice of the Peace courts. Attorney fees for a straightforward eviction range from $500 on the low end to $3,500 for contested matters. The combination of a low eviction risk score, affordable rents relative to income, and a landlord-favorable legal framework makes DeWitt County one of the more stable rental markets in South Texas - though the 20.5% poverty rate is a reminder that tenant financial fragility remains a real operational variable for property managers here.

DeWitt County's 3.7/10 score reflects a rental market with below-average eviction pressure compared to the Texas eviction laws norm of 3.6/10. Low rent burdens (21%), modest average rents of $881, and a fully state-governed legal framework with no local rent control or just-cause rules combine to keep operational risk manageable for landlords - though the county's 20.5% poverty rate warrants close screening practices and documented lease enforcement.