Galveston County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Galveston County scores 2.8/10 (Low) on eviction risk, averaged across 16 cities and a total county population of roughly 353,707. That headline figure reflects a genuinely landlord-accommodating operating environment within Texas eviction laws, but it conceals a meaningful spread: individual city scores range from 2 to 3.7, which means the county sits in the higher-risk third of all 254 Texas counties (ranked 23rd, with only 22 counties carrying more risk). Investors who stop at the county average and assume uniform conditions will be making leasing and underwriting decisions with incomplete information.

With an average rent of $1,487 and a rent burden rate of 32.6%, a meaningful share of Galveston County renters are already stretching household budgets. That pressure does not translate into uniform delinquency risk across the county, but it is a baseline landlords should factor into tenant screening and reserve planning, particularly in lower-income submarkets.

The cities inside Galveston County

The highest-risk city in the county is Dickinson, which scores 3.7/10 and has a population of roughly 21,753. Close behind are La Marque (3.6/10, population 19,268) and Bacliff (3.6/10, population 9,541), followed by Hitchcock at 3.5/10. Friendswood comes in at 3.3/10 despite its reputation as a stable suburb, and the city of Galveston itself scores 3.2/10 with a population of 53,424. These communities carry above-average delinquency and vacancy pressure relative to the county norm and warrant tighter underwriting standards.

On the other end of the spectrum, League City anchors the low-risk tier with a score of 2/10 and a population of 116,215, making it by far the county's largest and least-risky city. Texas City scores 2.4/10 with a population of 55,364. The gap between League City eviction risk at 2 and Dickinson at 3.7 illustrates how hyper-local eviction risk is within a single county, and why city-level data matters far more than any county-wide average for site-selection or portfolio stress-testing.

State-level laws that apply here

Every Galveston County landlord operates under Texas state law, specifically Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92 (Residential Tenancies). Texas requires only a 3-day notice for non-payment of rent (whether the tenant is a first-time or habitually delinquent payer), for lease violations, and for holdover situations. Squatters and unauthorized occupants can be served a same-day notice under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011 as added by SB-38. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 30 days; contested matters can run 45 to 90 days. Texas does not require just cause to terminate a lease, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance under TX Local Gov Code § 214.902, so no Galveston County municipality can impose rent caps.

On costs, the Texas eviction process carries a court filing fee of $54 to $125, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $175, and attorney fees that typically range from $500 to $3,500 depending on case complexity. Understanding the full Texas eviction costs before signing leases helps landlords price reserves correctly. Reviewing Texas tenant protections, particularly the retaliation statute under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331 and habitability duties under § 92.052, is equally important, since missteps on either front can derail an otherwise procedurally clean case.

With an average poverty rate of 11.1% and a renter share of 32.4%, Galveston County's risk profile is shaped as much by the specific city as by any county-wide factor; see the city grid above for scores on all 16 municipalities before committing to a submarket.