Washington County, Utah Eviction Risk: Very Low
20 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of St. George (2.8) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.
Ranked #17 of 29 UT counties
192k residents · 20 cities · 35 tracts
Washington County eviction risk score history
Key metrics
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Tenant beats landlord10.4%/ 100 outcomesIn court-decided eviction outcomes for Washington County, UT, tenants prevail in roughly 10.4% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses and longer calendars.
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Timeline25dfiling → judgmentFrom the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Washington County, UT until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 25 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent for landlords.
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Cost range$1.0–2.7klegal + lost rentA typical eviction in Washington County, UT costs landlords $971 to $2,722 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent.
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Average rent$1,55833% stretched on rentAverage gross rent in Washington County, UT is $1,558 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey. 33% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent.
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Renters28.9%of households28.9% of occupied housing units in Washington County, UT are renter-occupied. A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings and a more active rental market.
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Poverty9.9%3.4% unemp.9.9% of Washington County, UT residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 3.4%. Both feed the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model.
Scrub 50 years
Washington County's average eviction-risk score of 1.7/10 spans a range from 1.3 in St. George to 3.1 in Hildale, the county's highest-risk city. Ranked 21st of 29 Utah counties by eviction risk.
How Washington County ranks in Utah
Landlord guides for Utah
| City↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | % income on rent↕ | Average rent↕ | Lean↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | St. George | 101,995 | 2.1 | 34.0% | $1,545 | Rep |
| 002 | Washington | 32,348 | 2.0 | 31.7% | $1,614 | Rep |
| 003 | Hurricane | 22,771 | 2.1 | 34.6% | $1,426 | Rep |
| 004 | Ivins | 9,998 | 2.2 | 24.9% | $1,771 | Rep |
| 005 | Santa Clara | 8,152 | 2.0 | 40.5% | $1,907 | Rep |
| 006 | La Verkin | 4,476 | 2.3 | 33.5% | $1,392 | Rep |
| 007 | Toquerville | 2,344 | 1.8 | 17.3% | $946 | Rep |
| 008 | Enterprise | 1,955 | 2.3 | 21.1% | $1,309 | Rep |
| 009 | Hildale | 1,372 | 2.6 | 51.0% | $1,495 | Rep |
| 010 | Apple Valley | 1,181 | 2.2 | 17.6% | $1,750 | Rep |
| 011 | Dammeron Valley | 877 | 1.8 | 31.8% | $1,573 | Rep |
| 012 | Orderville | 803 | 1.8 | 31.8% | $1,573 | Rep |
| 013 | Virgin | 715 | 2.2 | 30.9% | $2,094 | Rep |
| 014 | Central | 660 | 2.5 | 31.8% | $1,573 | Rep |
| 015 | Leeds | 646 | 1.5 | 17.7% | $1,413 | Rep |
| 016 | Springdale | 421 | 1.8 | 23.9% | $1,077 | Rep |
| 017 | New Harmony | 393 | 1.6 | 9.0% | $1,573 | Rep |
| 018 | Veyo | 355 | 2.8 | 31.8% | $1,573 | Rep |
| 019 | Pine Valley | 355 | 1.7 | 31.8% | $1,573 | Rep |
| 020 | Rockville | 260 | 1.6 | 29.4% | $1,513 | Rep |
County heatmap
Neighborhoods in Washington County
Top 3 neighborhoods by population. Click for a pop-weighted risk score and the constituent census tracts.
One county, multiple regulatory regimes.
Washington County's county-wide eviction-risk score averages 2.1/10 (Low) across 20 cities, placing it among the more landlord-favorable corners of Utah eviction laws. Ranked 22nd of 29 Utah counties, the data confirm that 21 counties carry higher risk, while only 7 are less risky, putting Washington County comfortably in the lower-risk third of the state. For landlords and investors, that translates to shorter court timelines, lower chronic-delinquency pressure, and a rental market anchored by the St. George eviction risk metro's steady demand. The county's average rent runs $1,558, renter-cost burden sits at 33%, and just under 29% of households rent, giving the local market a relatively stable owner-renter mix.
That said, the intra-county spread from 1.2 to 3/10 is wide enough to matter in underwriting. A property in the county's lowest-risk city looks quite different from one in its highest-risk pocket, so investors should treat the county average as a starting point rather than a verdict, and drill down to the city-level scores in the grid below.
The cities inside Washington County
St. George dominates the county with a population of 101,995 and a score of 1.2/10, making it by far the lowest-risk market here and a dependable anchor for buy-and-hold investors. Santa Clara (1.9/10) and Enterprise (1.8/10) also sit well below the county average, while Washington city (2/10, population 32,348) and Hurricane (2.1/10, population 22,771) represent mid-tier risk worth monitoring as those cities absorb ongoing growth pressure from the broader St. George corridor.
The highest-risk pockets are concentrated in the county's smaller, more isolated communities. Hildale leads the county at 3/10, followed closely by Rockville at 2.9/10 and Leeds at 2.5/10. La Verkin and Virgin each score 2.4/10. These communities are small in population but meaningful in risk profile relative to the county average, and landlords considering acquisitions there should factor in the narrower tenant pool and the possibility of longer vacancy periods. Risk in Washington County is hyper-local: a few miles can move the needle by more than a full point.
State-level laws that apply here
Every landlord in Washington County operates under Utah eviction laws state law, which sets a predictable, landlord-leaning framework. For non-payment of rent or a lease violation, Utah eviction laws requires only a 3-day notice to pay or quit before filing. A no-cause end-of-term notice requires 30 days. From filing to writ, an uncontested case typically closes in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Understanding the full Utah eviction laws eviction process before you acquire is critical, because the procedural steps and timelines are set at the state level and apply uniformly whether you own in St. George or Hildale. Court filing fees range from $360 to $460, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $175, and attorney fees commonly run $750 to $3,500 depending on complexity. Reviewing Utah eviction costs in detail before budgeting a deal gives landlords a realistic floor for worst-case carrying costs. Utah eviction laws state law also preempts any local rent-control ordinance, and no just-cause requirement applies, giving landlords full flexibility on non-renewal decisions.
With a county poverty rate of 9.9% and fewer than 29% of households renting, Washington County's fundamentals are relatively stable, but risk concentrations in smaller cities are real. Use the city grid above to compare individual markets before committing capital.
Eviction filings in Washington County
In September 2025, 13 eviction filings were recorded in Washington County, 45.2% of the historical average (below average).1
- 13Sep 2025
- 45.2%of historical avg
- 18,340Renter households
- 9.9%Poverty rate
Historical eviction filings in Washington County
From 2004 to 2018, eviction filings in Washington County declined 32%. The peak was 400 filings in 2010.2
- 2562004
- 400Peak (2010)
- 1732018
Data covers 2000–2018, the full span of the Princeton Eviction Lab's national county court-records dataset.
How Washington County compares
Among its peer counties, Washington County (1.7/10) ties Sevier County (1.7/10) and sits below Cache County (2.25/10) and Sanpete County (1.78/10), while trailing only Iron County (1.39/10) and matching Box Elder County (1.74/10) at the lower end of the risk spectrum.
Statewide, Washington County ranks 21st out of 29 Utah eviction laws counties by eviction risk, placing it comfortably within the low-risk half of the state and reflecting the relative financial stability of its renter population.