Kaufman County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Kaufman County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.7/10, placing it in the Low tier, but that label deserves context. Across 19 incorporated places, individual city scores range from 1.7 to 3.1, a spread wide enough to matter when you are choosing which submarket to enter. The county sits at rank 24 of 254 Texas counties on the statewide risk index, meaning only 23 counties carry higher risk and 230 are considered less risky. Landlords operating in Texas should understand that Kaufman County, while technically Low on the scale, sits in the higher-risk third of the state, so local market selection is more consequential here than the headline score implies.

With a total county population of roughly 103,850 and an average asking rent of $1,635, the market is suburban-growth territory anchored by Dallas-area commuter demand. Renters account for about 28.5% of occupied households, and the average rent burden sits at 35.8% of gross income, a figure high enough to keep late-payment risk present even in lower-scoring cities. Operators who focus on tenant screening and lease structure tend to outperform those who rely on the county average alone.

The cities inside Kaufman County

The highest-risk municipality in the county is Terrell, scoring 3.1/10 with a population of 20,366. It is the only city in the county to breach the 3.0 threshold, which separates Low from Moderate risk on the statewide scale. Forney, the county's largest city at 31,532 residents, scores 3/10, making it the second-riskiest location despite its size and growth profile. Seven Points follows at 2.9/10, and Scurry, Rosser, and Cottonwood each score 2.7/10. These six cities together account for the risk concentration that pulls the county average above where it would otherwise land.

At the other end of the range, Crandall scores 2.1/10, and both the city of Kaufman and Mabank come in at 2.2/10. Heartland and Talty each score 2.5/10. The gap between Terrell at 3.1 and Crandall at 2.1 is a full point, which on this scoring system represents a meaningful difference in underlying risk factors. Landlords weighing a purchase in the county should evaluate city-level scores rather than treating the county number as representative of any single submarket.

State-level laws that apply here

All residential tenancies in Kaufman County operate under Texas state law, specifically Tex. Prop. Code Section 91 and Section 92. Texas uses a 3-day notice period for non-payment of rent, lease violations, holdover tenants, and end-of-term terminations, one of the shortest notice windows in the country. Squatters and unauthorized occupants can be removed without any advance notice period under Tex. Prop. Code Section 24.011. Texas does not require just cause for non-renewal and, under TX Local Gov Code Section 214.902, the state preempts any local government from imposing rent control, so there is no rent cap in any Kaufman County city. For a full walkthrough of the filing sequence, see the Texas eviction process guide.

On the cost side, court filing fees run $54 to $125, sheriff lockout fees add another $50 to $175, and attorney representation typically ranges from $500 to $3,500 depending on complexity and whether the case is contested. An uncontested eviction resolves in roughly 21 to 30 days; a contested case can stretch to 45 to 90 days. Understanding Texas eviction costs before budgeting a rental acquisition here is essential, particularly for investors holding thinner-margin properties in higher-scoring cities like Terrell or Forney.

With a county poverty rate of 10.2% and renters making up 28.5% of households, the underlying risk profile in Kaufman County is uneven enough that the city grid above, rather than the county average, is the right starting point for any acquisition or portfolio analysis.