Jackson County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Jackson County sits in the coastal bend region of South Texas, covering roughly 830 square miles of prairie and ranchland between Victoria and the Gulf Coast. With a total population near 8,396 and only five incorporated places tracked by this index, the county operates at a scale where individual landlord decisions and local economic shifts register clearly in the numbers. The county's eviction risk score of 3.9/10 (Low) places it at 22nd of 254 Texas counties - landing it in the higher-risk of the state, with 21 counties carrying higher risk and 232 carrying lower risk. Landlords weighing this market against busier metros will find the legal environment straightforward under Tex. Prop. Code § 91 & § 92, but the local rent base and income profile call for careful tenant screening.

Risk is not uniform across the county's five cities. La Ward carries the highest local score at 4/10 - a small town of 178 residents where the thin rental market can amplify volatility. Edna, the county seat and by far the largest community at 6,027 residents, scores 4/10 and sets the practical tone for most of the county's rental activity. Vanderbilt scores 3.2/10, while Ganado (1,534 residents) comes in lower at 4/10. Lolita is the lowest-risk city in the county at 3.1/10. The spread from 3.1 to 4 is relatively tight, which reflects the county's consistent small-town character rather than a mix of urban and rural extremes. Average monthly rent across Jackson County runs around $1,060, with a rent burden averaging 28.9% of household income - meaningful pressure given a poverty rate of 20.7%.

Texas law gives landlords one of the most landlord-favorable statutory frameworks in the country, and Jackson County benefits fully from that baseline. Non-payment of rent requires only a 3-day written notice to vacate under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a) before a forcible detainer suit can be filed - the same 3-day period applies to lease violations and end-of-term holdovers. There is no just-cause eviction requirement anywhere in Texas, and TX Local Gov Code § 214.902 bars any city or county from enacting local rent control, eliminating that policy risk entirely for landlords operating here. Court filing costs run between $54 and $125, sheriff lockout fees between $50 and $175, and uncontested proceedings typically close in 21 to 30 days - a fast-resolution profile by national standards. Contested cases can extend to 45-90 days, and attorney fees for eviction matters generally fall in the $500-$3,500 range depending on complexity.

Jackson County's 3.9/10 score reflects a rural coastal-bend economy where moderate rent burden (28.9%) and a 20.7% poverty rate create baseline non-payment risk, offset by Texas eviction laws's fast 3-day notice process and a total absence of rent control or just-cause protections statewide. The county's 42.8% renter share is higher than many comparably sized rural Texas eviction laws counties, making it more active as a rental market than its small population might suggest.