Eastland County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Eastland County sits in the heart of West-Central Texas - a sparsely settled stretch of Cross Timbers and Rolling Plains roughly 100 miles west of Fort Worth on Interstate 20. With around 12,245 residents spread across six incorporated communities, the county's rental market is small by any measure: fewer than 4 in 10 households rent (37.7%), average monthly rent runs $923, and the typical renter puts 26.6% of income toward housing - below the threshold most analysts flag as cost-burdened. That combination of modest rents and limited regulatory friction produces a county-wide eviction risk score of 3.6/10 (Low), placing Eastland 118th out of 254 Texas counties. Scores among the six cities range from 3.2 to 4, a spread that reflects genuine differences in local poverty rates and tenant-landlord dynamics rather than any patchwork of local ordinances - Texas state law preempts local rent control statewide under Tex. Local Gov Code §214.902, so no city in Eastland County can impose rent caps or just-cause eviction requirements.

The county seat city of Eastland (population 3,704) scores 3.6/10 - close to the county average - while Cisco (population 3,955, the county's largest community) comes in at 3.4/10. Ranger, with 2,641 residents and a legacy tied to the early twentieth-century oil boom, posts the lowest score among the bigger towns at 3.5/10. At the higher end of the local range, Gorman (population 997) scores 4/10, making it the riskiest community in the county by this measure. Rising Star checks in at 3.9/10, and the small community of Carbon - just 280 residents - sits at 3.2/10. None of these scores approach the upper tiers that characterize urban Texas counties with tighter housing markets and higher poverty concentrations; Eastland's rural character and lower rent levels keep risk contained across the board. Poverty runs at 16.3% countywide, which is elevated relative to state averages and does add some upward pressure on the score, but the absence of any local regulatory burden keeps the overall reading in the Low range compared to the Texas baseline of 3.6/10.

For landlords operating in Eastland County, the practical takeaway is straightforward. Texas gives landlords one of the faster eviction timelines in the country: a 3-day written notice is sufficient for non-payment of rent under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a), the same 3-day period applies to lease violations and holdover tenants, and squatters can be removed with no notice period at all under SB-38 (Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011). Once notice expires, an uncontested eviction in a small county like Eastland typically resolves in 21 to 30 days; contested cases extend to roughly 45 to 90 days. Justice court filing fees range from $54 to $125, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $175, and attorney costs - if retained - typically fall between $500 and $3,500. Because Texas requires no just cause for non-renewal and imposes no rent caps, landlords retain broad discretion over lease terms, rent increases, and tenant screening. The Texas Workforce Commission's Civil Rights Division handles fair housing complaints; source-of-income is not a protected class under Texas law, though federal protections under the Fair Housing Act still apply.

Eastland County's 3.6/10 score reflects a market shaped by low regulatory burden, below-average rents, and a small renter population - but a poverty rate of 16.3% means some tenants carry meaningful financial fragility. Landlords should focus screening rigor on income verification rather than on navigating complex local rules, since Eastland County has none.