Polk County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Polk County's average eviction-risk score of 3.8/10 (Low) signals a generally landlord-friendly operating environment across the county's 9 cities, but that aggregate masks real variation on the ground. With scores ranging from 1.7 at the low end to 3 at the top, landlords in Texas face meaningfully different risk profiles depending on exactly which community they choose. The county's rank of 39 of 254 in the state places it squarely in the higher-risk third of Texas eviction laws counties, meaning 38 counties carry even greater risk and 215 are more landlord-friendly, so "low risk" here is relative rather than absolute.

The broader numbers reinforce caution. Average rent runs $1,078 per month against an average rent burden of 33.3%, a threshold that indicates renters are financially stretched. With a renter share of 31% and a poverty rate of 23.6%, the county's tenant base carries above-average economic fragility, which elevates the practical likelihood of payment disruption even where the statutory framework stays landlord-favorable.

The cities inside Polk County

The highest-risk addresses in Polk County are Corrigan (4.4/10, population 1,784) and Goodrich (4.2/10, population 323), both sitting at the county ceiling. West Livingston (4/10, population 8,199), the county's most populous place, and Onalaska (4/10, population 3,210) form a second tier with somewhat elevated risk relative to the county average. Investors targeting these communities should underwrite with the assumption that tenant financial stress will occasionally translate into non-payment situations.

The lower end of the risk range looks considerably more attractive. Pleasant Hill scores 3.2/10, Cedar Point 3.1/10, and Indian Springs 3.1/10, all well below the county average. Livingston, the county seat at 4/10 and a population of 5,718, sits in a middle band that most landlords would characterize as manageable. These differences underscore how hyper-local risk is: crossing a city line inside Polk County can shift your effective risk score by a full point.

State-level laws that apply here

Texas state law under Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92 (Residential Tenancies) sets the statutory framework for every landlord in Polk County. Notice requirements are tight by national standards: a landlord may serve a 3-day notice for non-payment of rent (whether first-time or habitually delinquent), for a non-rent lease violation, or at the end of a lease term or holdover tenancy. Squatters and unauthorized occupants can be addressed without any notice period under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011, as added by SB-38. Texas does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and the state preempts local rent-control ordinances under TX Local Gov Code § 214.902, so no city inside Polk County can impose a rent cap. Anyone researching the full workflow should review the Texas eviction process and Texas eviction costs in detail before drafting a lease.

For uncontested cases, timeline runs 21 to 30 days from filing to resolution; contested matters extend to 45 to 90 days. Total out-of-pocket costs range from a court filing fee of $54 to $125, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $175, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,500 depending on case complexity. Texas security deposit limits and Texas tenant protections, including the retaliation statute at Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331 and habitability requirements at Tex. Prop. Code § 92.052, apply uniformly across the county. Fair housing complaints are handled by the Texas Workforce Commission, Civil Rights Division.

With a poverty rate of 23.6% and a renter share of 31% across a total county population of roughly 21,448, landlord exposure to financially stressed tenants is real here, making the city-by-city score grid above the most useful starting point for any acquisition or portfolio decision in Polk County.