Potter County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Potter County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.5/10 (Low), placing it among the more landlord-friendly markets in Texas eviction laws. The county ranks 222 of 254 Texas counties, meaning 221 counties post higher risk scores and only 32 are less risky, putting Potter County firmly in the lower-risk third of the state. For investors sizing up the Panhandle, that translates to a statutory environment that moves quickly, no local rent-control overrides, and a tenant population where rent-payment stress, while present, runs below many comparable Texas eviction laws metros.

The county's 39.8% renter share and an average rent of $1,093 create a mid-sized landlord pool spread across 4 incorporated places. Average rent burden sits at 28.7%, a level that keeps most tenants in a serviceable range but still signals that a meaningful slice of households would feel the pinch of any income shock. The intra-county risk range of 1.2 to 2.9 is the most important single number here: conditions are not uniform, and city choice inside Potter County matters.

The cities inside Potter County

Amarillo anchors the county both by population (201,885) and by its low risk score of 2.5/10, matching the county average precisely. With the vast majority of the county's renters concentrated here, Amarillo is where most landlords will actually operate, and the numbers support a measured, low-anxiety posture toward tenancy risk.

Bushland and Bishop Hills each score 1.9/10, representing a moderate step up. Bushland's population is 2,779 and Bishop Hills stands at 202 residents, so these are small-community markets where individual tenant situations can skew local data. At the opposite end of the county, Wildorado scores 2.9/10, the highest reading in Potter County, though even that figure remains well below statewide averages for higher-risk Texas markets. Wildorado's population of 157 means the practical landlord footprint there is minimal, but investors targeting rural parcels should account for that elevated score relative to the rest of the county.

State-level laws that apply here

Under Texas eviction process rules, landlords hold meaningful procedural advantages. The notice period for non-payment of rent is just 3 days under Tex. Prop. Code sec. 24.005(a) and sec. 24.005(a-1), whether the tenant is a first-time delinquent or habitually late. The same 3-day notice applies to lease violations and holdover tenants (sec. 24.005(b)). For unauthorized occupants or squatters, Texas goes further: Tex. Prop. Code sec. 24.011 as added by SB-38 requires 0 days notice, meaning removal can begin immediately. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 30 days, while contested matters run 45 to 90 days.

Texas eviction costs for a Potter County landlord will generally include a court filing fee of $54 to $125, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $175, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $3,500 depending on complexity. Texas requires no just cause to terminate a tenancy, and the state actively preempts local rent-control ordinances under TX Local Gov Code sec. 214.902, so no city inside Potter County can impose its own cap. Texas security deposit limits are set at the state level under Tex. Prop. Code sec. 91 and sec. 92, the same statutes that govern the full landlord-tenant relationship here.

With a poverty rate of 15.6% and roughly 39.8% of residents renting, Potter County carries some baseline economic pressure worth factoring into tenant screening, but the city-level scores above show that where you own inside the county shapes that exposure far more than the county average alone.