Willacy County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Willacy County earns an average eviction-risk score of 2.1/10 (Low), placing it at rank 83 of 254 Texas counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk. That position means 82 counties carry more risk than Willacy County, yet 171 are less risky, putting this county squarely in the higher-risk third of the state. For landlords operating across the county's 13 cities and a total population of roughly 16,008, that context matters: scores range from 1.7 to 2.7 depending on the specific community, and an average rent of $806 against a rent-burden rate of 30.8% points to a tenant base that is financially stretched in normal times.

A poverty rate of 28.2% shapes the operating environment here in a way that landlords should take seriously even when aggregate scores look modest. Renter households make up just 27.2% of occupied units, so the rental market is comparatively thin, which can lengthen vacancy cycles and limit the pool of qualified applicants. Taken together, conditions in Willacy County reward disciplined screening and careful lease underwriting more than they reward volume.

The cities inside Willacy County

The single highest-risk location in the county is Sebastian, which scores 2.7/10, a full 0.6 points above the county average and notably higher than any other community in the data. With a population of 1,021, Sebastian is a small market where a concentrated problem tenant situation can affect an entire portfolio. Landlords considering acquisitions there should build wider cash-flow buffers than the county average alone would suggest.

The county seat, Raymondville, is the largest city at 10,185 residents and scores 2.1/10, exactly at the county average. Lyford, with 2,054 residents, also scores 2.1/10. At the lower end of the spectrum, San Perlita scores 1.7/10, the lowest in the county, and Tierra Bonita comes in at 1.8/10. The full spread from 1.7 to 2.7 underscores that risk is hyper-local: two properties a few miles apart can sit on opposite ends of the county's range, so city-level scores in the grid above should inform every individual acquisition decision.

State-level laws that apply here

All Willacy County landlords operate under Texas state law, specifically Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92 (Residential Tenancies). The standard notice period for non-payment of rent, lease violations, and holdover situations is 3 days, which is among the shorter notice requirements in the country and a meaningful procedural advantage. For squatters or unauthorized occupants, no advance notice is required under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011, as added by SB-38. Texas imposes no just-cause eviction requirement and, under TX Local Gov Code § 214.902, the state preempts local rent control entirely, so no city in Willacy County can impose rent caps or additional just-cause hurdles above the state floor. The Texas eviction process, once initiated, typically resolves in 21 to 30 days for uncontested cases and 45 to 90 days for contested ones.

Cost is the real variable. Reviewing Texas eviction costs before budgeting a cycle is essential: court filing fees run $54 to $125, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $175, and attorney fees for a litigated case can reach $500 to $3,500. Those ranges mean a straightforward uncontested case can close near $600 in direct outlays, while a contested dispute can push well past $3,800. Texas security deposit limits and Texas tenant protections, particularly the retaliation statute at Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331 and the habitability statute at Tex. Prop. Code § 92.052, also set baseline obligations that landlords must satisfy before an eviction filing will survive challenge.

With a poverty rate of 28.2% and renters representing just 27.2% of households, Willacy County's rental market is narrow and financially sensitive; the city-by-city risk scores in the grid above are the most reliable guide for evaluating individual acquisitions across the county's 13 communities.