Hemphill County, Texas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Hemphill County sits in the Texas eviction laws Panhandle's eastern edge, a cattle and energy county of roughly 2,289 residents where the rental market is small but well-defined. The county carries an eviction risk score of 2.3/10 (Very Low), placing it 160th out of 254 Texas counties - a middle position that reflects conditions typical of sparsely populated rural Texas communities. Scores across Hemphill County's two incorporated places range from 2.2 to 2.3, an unusually tight spread that signals a consistent, low-volatility rental environment throughout the county.

Canadian, the county seat and by far the largest community with 2,241 residents, accounts for the overwhelming majority of the county's rental activity. It carries an eviction risk score of 2.3/10, in line with the county average and driven by an average rent near $805 per month and a rent burden of 27.7% - meaning the typical renter household devotes roughly a quarter of income to housing, which is below the national 30% threshold that researchers use as a stress indicator. Glazier, the county's only other place, is a hamlet of 48 residents with a score of 2.2/10, reflecting minimal rental activity and very low population pressure on housing costs. With a poverty rate of just 3.4% - one of the lowest in West Texas - and 30.4% of residents renting rather than owning, Hemphill County does not exhibit the income-to-rent compression that drives elevated eviction risk in larger urban markets.

Texas state law governs landlord-tenant relations through Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92, and the framework is notably landlord-favorable by national standards. No just-cause requirement exists: a landlord may decline to renew a lease for any reason or no reason at all. Rent increases carry no cap - Texas preempts local rent control ordinances statewide under TX Local Gov Code §214.902, so no Hemphill County municipality can impose any rent ceiling. For non-payment of rent, the required notice period is 3 days under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a), one of the shortest in the country. The same 3-day window applies to lease violations and end-of-term holdover situations. Unauthorized occupants (squatters) face an even shorter timeline under SB-38, with zero days' notice required before filing. Once a notice period expires, a landlord may file in justice court at a cost of $54 to $125 in filing fees, and uncontested eviction cases typically conclude in 21 to 30 days. Contested proceedings take 45 to 90 days. Attorney fees for eviction representation typically run $500 to $3,500 depending on complexity, though many rural landlords in Hemphill County handle straightforward non-payment cases without legal counsel given the streamlined local justice court process.

Hemphill County's Very Low risk score of 2.3/10 reflects a combination of low poverty (3.4%), a modest rent burden (27.7%), and a landlord-favorable state legal framework with 3-day notice requirements and no rent control. The county's entire rental market is effectively concentrated in Canadian, making county-level trends and city-level conditions nearly interchangeable here.