Menard County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Menard County sits in the Texas Hill Country roughly 100 miles southeast of San Angelo, one of the most sparsely populated corners of the state. With roughly 1,008 residents and a single incorporated place - the county seat of Menard, scoring 2.6/10 - the rental market here is intimate by any measure. The county's overall eviction risk comes in at 2.6/10 (Low), placing it 56th of 254 Texas counties when ranked from highest to lowest risk. That position means 55 counties carry higher eviction risk and 198 sit below Menard County on the risk ladder. Because only one city contributes to the county average, the spread between the lowest and highest city score is tight: 2.6 to 2.6.

The economic backdrop is stark but stable in a particular way. Median gross rent in Menard County runs about $673 per month, well below the Texas statewide average, and renters here spend roughly 18.2% of household income on rent - a burden that sits comfortably under the 30% threshold that housing economists typically flag as distressed. Only about 22.9% of households rent rather than own, reflecting the deeply rural, agricultural character of the county. Poverty is more pronounced: approximately 27% of residents fall below the federal poverty line, a figure that is elevated compared to most Texas metros but common in rural West Texas ranch country. That poverty concentration can make any eviction financially catastrophic for tenants even when the formal risk score remains low, because replacement options in a market this thin are essentially nonexistent.

Texas law governs landlord-tenant relations statewide through Tex. Prop. Code § 91 & § 92 (Residential Tenancies), and the framework tilts toward quick landlord remedies. Notice to vacate for non-payment of rent requires only 3 days under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005, whether a tenant is a first-time or habitual delinquent. Lease violations and holdover tenancies carry the same 3-day notice window, and unauthorized occupants can be removed with no notice period at all under SB-38. Court filing fees run $54 to $125, with sheriff lockout fees adding $50 to $175 on top. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 30 days; contested matters extend to 45 to 90 days. Texas also preempts local rent control entirely under TX Local Gov Code §214.902, meaning no Menard County ordinance can cap rents or require just-cause eviction. Source-of-income protections are not required. Against that legal backdrop, Menard County's Low risk score reflects not an absence of landlord power - Texas grants considerable leverage - but rather the low rent burden, thin renter population, and quiet rural market dynamics that reduce the frequency with which that power gets exercised.

Menard County's 2.6/10 score reflects a low-pressure rental environment shaped by affordable rents ($673/mo average), a modest 18.2% rent burden, and a very small renter population of roughly 22.9% of households. Texas eviction laws law is uniformly landlord-permissive statewide, so the county's Low designation stems from local market conditions rather than any tenant-protective ordinances.