Upshur County, Texas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Upshur County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.4/10, placing it in the Low tier overall, but that headline masks meaningful variation across the county's 5 incorporated cities. Landlords operating in Texas should treat that county average as a starting point, not a verdict: the intra-county spread runs from 1.7 to 2.9, a 1.2-point gap wide enough to make the difference between a routine year and a genuinely difficult one. Operating conditions are generally workable here, though a poverty rate of 24.1% warrants careful tenant screening in every market.

Among Texas's 254 counties, Upshur ranks 44th for eviction risk, meaning 43 counties are riskier and 210 are more landlord-friendly. That puts Upshur in the higher-risk third of the state, which matters when building a portfolio: landlords who assume a Low score means low concern may find that a handful of stressed submarkets within the county produce outsized collection problems relative to their share of units.

The cities inside Upshur County

Gladewater is the county's largest city at 6,227 residents and also its highest-risk market, scoring 2.9/10. Big Sandy follows at 2.8/10 with a population of 1,289, and East Mountain sits at 2.6/10 across its 958 residents. Taken together, these three communities account for most of the county's elevated-risk exposure, and investors concentrating assets there should price that risk into acquisition underwriting and reserves.

On the other end of the spectrum, Gilmer, the county seat at 5,025 residents, and Ore City, with 851 residents, both score 1.7/10, the lowest in the county. A landlord whose portfolio spans both Gladewater and Gilmer is, in practical terms, operating in two distinct markets that happen to share a county border. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here, and city-level data should drive decisions rather than the county average.

State-level laws that apply here

Under Texas state law (Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92), landlords in Upshur County must serve a 3-day written notice to vacate before filing for eviction, whether the ground is nonpayment of rent, a lease violation, or a holdover at end of term. For squatters or unauthorized occupants, Texas law allows a 0-day notice under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011, as added by SB-38. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 30 days; a contested case can run 45 to 90 days. Reviewing the full Texas eviction process before filing is worthwhile, because each procedural misstep resets the clock.

Court filing fees range from $54 to $125, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $175, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,500 depending on complexity. Texas imposes no just-cause requirement for eviction and, critically, state law preempts local rent-control ordinances under TX Local Gov Code § 214.902, so no Upshur County municipality can cap rents independently. For a full breakdown of what enforcement will cost, see the Texas eviction costs guide. Texas does not protect source of income as a fair-housing category; complaints are handled through the Texas Workforce Commission, Civil Rights Division.

With 40.2% of residents renting and a poverty rate of 24.1%, Upshur County's underlying tenant economics are tighter than the Low risk score alone suggests; review the city grid above to identify which specific markets align with your risk tolerance before committing capital.