Martin County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Martin County sits in the heart of West Texas eviction laws's Permian Basin edge, a sparsely populated county of roughly 3,022 residents where the rental market is small and the legal climate leans sharply toward landlord-side efficiency. The county's overall eviction risk score is 3.2/10 (Low), placing it 237th of 254 Texas counties by risk - meaning 236 counties in the state carry a higher risk score and only 17 score lower. That ranks Martin County firmly in the lower-risk of Texas eviction laws by eviction risk, a reflection of minimal tenant-protection law, a thin renter population, and courts that process uncontested evictions in as few as 21 days.

The county contains two incorporated communities, and their scores define the local range. Stanton, the county seat and by far the largest community with a population of 2,638, scores 3.2/10 - the higher end of the local spread. Ackerly, a much smaller community of about 384 residents, scores 3.1/10, sitting at the lower end. That spread of 3.1 to 3.2 is narrow, which tells a consistent story: across Martin County, landlords operate under essentially the same statutory framework regardless of which community they own property in. Neither city has enacted local tenant protections, and Texas eviction laws state law (TX Local Gov Code §214.902) preempts any municipality from doing so. The statewide average is 3.6/10; Martin County's score is meaningfully below that, signaling a lower-risk operating environment for landlords compared to the Texas norm.

Renters make up only about 21.3% of occupied housing units in Martin County - one of the lower renter-share figures in the region - and average rent runs approximately $986 per month. Average rent burden sits at 29.5% of household income, which is below the commonly cited 30% stress threshold, and the poverty rate is just 3.6%. Those demographic conditions contribute to a relatively stable rental market with lower-than-average displacement pressure. For landlords, this means tenant turnover tends to be driven by voluntary moves rather than eviction actions. For the few renters in the county, it also means the market is not generating the density of distressed tenancies that tends to push eviction filings higher in urban Texas counties. The legal machinery, however, is fast and inexpensive when it does get used: court filing fees run $54-$125, sheriff lockout fees range $50-$175, and an uncontested eviction can conclude in 21 to 30 days from filing - considerably faster than the Texas urban-county average.

Martin County's Low risk score of 3.2/10 reflects the convergence of landlord-favorable Texas eviction laws state law, a small renter population, low rent burden, and no local tenant-protection overlays. The 3-day notice requirement under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005 applies to non-payment, lease violations, and holdover situations alike, giving tenants very little cure window before a case can be filed. No just-cause eviction requirement exists, and no rent cap applies anywhere in the county.