Parmer County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Parmer County sits in the far northwest corner of the Texas eviction laws Panhandle, anchored by feedlot and row-crop agriculture that shapes both its economy and its rental market. With roughly 6,896 residents spread across a county seat and two small satellite towns, this is one of the least densely populated corners of Texas eviction laws -- and one of the least legally complex for landlords navigating eviction. The county carries a 3.3/10 eviction risk score, placing it in the Low tier and ranking it 184th of 254 Texas counties. Because rank 1 represents the highest-risk county in the state, a ranking of 184th means 183 Texas eviction laws counties carry higher eviction risk than Parmer, while only 70 are considered less risky for landlords. That puts Parmer firmly in the lower-risk of Texas counties by risk level.

The county's three incorporated cities trace a tight range, with scores between 3.2 and 3.6/10. Friona, the largest city at roughly 4,102 residents and the Parmer County seat, scores 3.2/10 -- consistent with the county average. Farwell, the border-straddling town that shares its main street with Texico, New Mexico, also scores 3.6/10. Bovina, the smallest of the three at around 1,488 residents and home to one of the largest cattle-feeding operations in the United States, comes in slightly lower at 3.4/10. The narrow spread from 3.2 to 3.6 signals a consistent, low-friction eviction environment across all three communities -- no single city is appreciably riskier than its neighbors. Average county-wide rent runs $1,094/month, and renters here allocate roughly 22.4% of income toward rent -- a burden rate that sits well below the 30% threshold commonly used to flag housing stress. The renter share of occupied housing is 25.4%, meaning the majority of Parmer County households own rather than rent, which further constrains the scale of potential eviction filings in any given year.

Texas gives landlords a procedurally lean framework statewide. Under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005, a landlord needs to serve only a 3-day written notice to vacate before filing in Justice of the Peace court -- for non-payment, lease violations, holdover tenancies, and end-of-term situations alike. The state preempts local rent control entirely under TX Local Gov Code § 214.902, so Parmer County has no rent caps or just-cause eviction requirements, and none can be enacted locally. There is no source-of-income protection under Texas law. Court filing fees run $54 to $125; if a writ of possession is required, sheriff's fees add $50 to $175. An uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 30 days; contested cases run 45 to 90 days. The poverty rate in the county sits at 11.1%, which is moderate by rural Texas standards and reflects a working population largely tied to year-round agricultural employment. Compared to the Texas state average of 3.6/10, Parmer County is notably less risky for landlords -- a reflection of its minimal tenant-protection statutes, low rent burden, and agricultural economic base that keeps renter turnover predictable.

Parmer County's 3.3/10 score and Low classification reflect a market defined by modest rents, low rent burden, and the procedural efficiency of Texas eviction laws eviction law. With no local protections layered on top of state statutes, landlords in Friona, Bovina, and Farwell operate under one of the most straightforward legal frameworks in the country -- a 3-day notice period, no just-cause requirement, and Justice of the Peace courts that handle uncontested cases in under a month.