Gonzales County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Gonzales County sits in South Central Texas between San Antonio and the Gulf Coast, a region of working ranches, oil-field towns, and small agricultural communities. With a population of roughly 10,629 residents and an average asking rent of $791 per month, this is one of the more affordable rental markets in the state. The county's overall eviction risk score is 3.7/10 (Low), placing it 89th out of 254 Texas counties -- with 177 counties carrying higher risk and 76 ranked lower. That position in the lower-risk third of the state reflects a combination of relatively modest rent burden, a legal framework that is among the most landlord-favorable in the country, and a local economy that has remained stable enough to keep the population of renters -- about 43.3% of households -- largely current on their obligations.

Risk is not uniform across the county. The five incorporated places that make up Gonzales County span a score range of 3.1 to 3.8, giving landlords good reason to look at city-level data before acquiring or managing property. Smiley carries the highest individual reading at 3.7/10 -- a meaningful step above the county average -- driven partly by concentrated poverty and a renter base with limited income cushion. Nixon comes in at 3.4/10, closely tracking the county average, while the county seat of Gonzales (population 7,200, the largest community in the county) holds steady at 3.8/10. Waelder matches Gonzales at 3.2/10, and the small community of Harwood records the county's lowest reading at 3.1/10. Poverty touches about 22% of the county population, which is above the Texas average and keeps some upward pressure on default risk even in a low-overall-risk environment.

Texas law is the dominant structural factor keeping Gonzales County's risk score low. Under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005, landlords can issue a 3-day notice to vacate for non-payment of rent, lease violations, holdover tenancy, or end of term. There is no statewide just-cause requirement, source-of-income protection, or local rent control -- the latter is expressly preempted by TX Local Gov Code § 214.902, which means no city within Gonzales County can pass its own rent cap. Court filing fees for a forcible detainer action run $54 to $125 depending on the justice of the peace precinct, with sheriff's lockout fees adding another $50 to $175. An uncontested case typically wraps in 21-30 days from notice to writ; contested proceedings extend to 45-90 days. Attorney fees, when landlords choose representation, generally range from $500 to $3,500 depending on complexity. Compared with major Texas metros -- or virtually any county in California eviction laws, New York eviction laws, or New Jersey eviction laws -- those timelines and costs are low, which is one reason the county's eviction risk score tracks below the state average of 3.6/10.

Gonzales County's 3.8/10 score (Low) reflects a county where landlord-protective state statutes, manageable average rents of $791, and a rent burden of 29.7% combine to keep eviction pressure relatively contained -- even as a 22% poverty rate signals that some tenant households operate with little financial buffer.