Upton County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Upton County sits in the Permian Basin of West Texas, a sparsely populated oil-patch county of roughly 2,730 residents spread across two small communities. The county carries an eviction risk score of 2.5/10 (Low), placing it 77th out of 254 Texas counties - a position in the higher-risk of the state. Among the 254 counties in Texas, 76 carry a higher risk score and 177 fall lower, which puts Upton County noticeably above the typical rural West Texas baseline despite its small renter population. The county's two cities span a score range from 2.4 to 2.6, with McCamey - the larger of the two at about 1,643 residents - scoring 2.6/10, and Rankin (roughly 1,087 residents) scoring 2.4/10.

The renter landscape here is thin: only about 24.1% of occupied units are renter-occupied, which is well below the Texas statewide average. Average asking rent sits at $932 per month, and rent burden - the share of renter household income going to housing costs - is 31.4%, a meaningful squeeze in a county where 20.3% of residents live below the poverty line. These numbers matter for landlords because the tenant pool is financially fragile: when oil activity softens and employment shifts, rent collection stress tends to rise faster in communities with high poverty and limited housing alternatives. For tenants, the low supply of rental units means fewer options when disputes arise or conditions deteriorate.

Texas law governs the landlord-tenant relationship here under Tex. Prop. Code § 91 & § 92 (Residential Tenancies), and the statutory framework is among the most landlord-favorable in the country. There is no just-cause requirement for eviction, no local rent control (the state actively preempts it under TX Local Gov Code §214.902), and notice periods are short. For non-payment of rent, landlords need only serve a 3-day written notice under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a) before filing in justice court. For lease violations other than rent, the same 3-day cure period applies. Holdover tenants and end-of-lease terminations also require only 3 days. Unauthorized occupants - squatters - can be removed with no advance notice at all under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011 as enacted by SB-38. Court filing fees in the county run $54 to $125; sheriff lockout fees add another $50 to $175. In an uncontested case, the entire process from filing to writ of possession typically resolves in 21 to 30 days. A contested case extends to 45 to 90 days.

Upton County's 2.5/10 score reflects a combination of lean tenant protections under Texas eviction laws state law, elevated local poverty at 20.3%, and a rent burden of 31.4% that leaves a significant share of renter households financially exposed. The county's position at rank 77th of 254 - ahead of 76 other Texas eviction laws counties in risk - is driven primarily by the socioeconomic vulnerability of its small renter base rather than by any active tenant protection ordinances, which do not exist here.