Mason County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Mason County sits in the Texas Hill Country with a total population of roughly 1,999 residents, making it one of the smaller and more rural counties in the state. Only about 23.1% of households here rent rather than own, a figure well below the Texas eviction laws statewide average, and that low renter density is a foundational reason why the county carries a composite eviction risk score of 3.2/10 (Low). That ranks Mason 221st out of 254 Texas eviction laws counties on this index, where rank 1 represents the highest eviction risk. Put plainly, 220 Texas counties carry measurably higher risk than Mason County, and only 33 counties score lower.

The sole incorporated place in the county is the city of Mason, the county seat, which scores 3.2/10 on the same index. Because Mason city is the only tracked municipality, the county score and the city score are effectively the same data point, and the county's score spread runs from 3.2 to 3.2. Average asking rent in the county comes in near $825 per month, and the average rent burden for renter households sits at 27.5% of income -- below the 30% threshold that housing researchers commonly treat as a stress indicator. The poverty rate runs at just 3.3%, which limits the pool of households most vulnerable to rapid income disruption. Together, low population density, modest rents, and a thin renter base keep eviction pressure structurally low in Mason County.

Texas landlord-tenant law, governed primarily by Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92, also tilts firmly toward landlord efficiency at the state level. Notice periods are short: a landlord may serve a 3-day notice to vacate for non-payment of rent under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a), and the same 3-day window applies to lease violations and holdover situations. Unauthorized occupants face an immediate removal process under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011 as amended by SB-38, requiring no advance notice period at all. Justice-court filing fees range from $54 to $125, and uncontested eviction cases in Texas typically conclude in 21 to 30 days. Contested cases may extend to 45 to 90 days depending on docket load. Texas does not require just cause for eviction and, under TX Local Gov Code § 214.902, the state preempts any local government from enacting rent control -- meaning no municipality in Mason County can impose rent caps or additional eviction protections beyond the state baseline. Source-of-income discrimination protections are also absent at the state level. For landlords, this statutory environment means the procedural path from non-payment to regained possession is among the most streamlined in the country.

Mason County's Low risk score of 3.2/10 reflects a combination of rural demographics, low renter market depth, and Texas eviction laws's landlord-efficient statutory framework. With fewer than 2,000 residents and a renter share of just 23.1%, the structural conditions that tend to drive eviction volume -- dense renter populations, high rent burdens, and layered tenant-protection ordinances -- are largely absent here.