Caledonia County, Vermont Eviction Risk: Moderate

Caledonia County sits in Vermont eviction laws's Northeast Kingdom, a largely rural stretch of the state where the rental market is shaped as much by thin housing stock as by legal protections. The county's overall eviction risk score is 4.7/10 (Moderate), ranking it 12th of 14 Vermont counties - a position well toward the lower-risk end of the state's scale. Of Vermont eviction laws's 14 counties, only 2 carry less eviction risk than Caledonia, while 11 rank higher. That placement reflects a convergence of factors: Vermont eviction laws's statewide tenant-protection framework applies here in full, local wages tend to keep pace with the county's relatively modest rents, and the legal costs and timelines of pursuing an eviction act as a meaningful deterrent for both sides of any dispute.

Within the county, risk is not evenly distributed. Scores across Caledonia's 16 tracked communities run from a low of 4.3 to a high of 5.4 - a spread that highlights genuine variation in how exposed individual landlords are depending on where they own property. The county seat, St. Johnsbury, accounts for more than half the county's roughly 11,492 residents and scores 4.7/10, sitting close to the county average. Lyndonville, the second-largest community at about 1,408 people, comes in at 4.8/10. Hardwick, with approximately 1,046 residents, also scores 4.8/10. At the higher end, West Burke leads the county at 5.4/10, followed by Peacham at 5.2/10 and the Lyndon-area communities of Lyndon Center at 5.1/10, Cabot at 5.1/10, and Lyndon proper at 5.1/10. The smallest communities in the county - Groton, Danville, and Marshfield - carry scores closer to the lower end of the range, with Danville at 4.3/10 representing the most landlord-favorable conditions in Caledonia. These differences across communities stem largely from differences in renter population density, local code-enforcement capacity, and the degree to which tenants have access to legal assistance.

Vermont eviction laws's tenant-protection statutes shape the baseline for the entire county. Under 9 V.S.A. § 4451 et seq., landlords must give 14 days' written notice before filing for nonpayment of rent, and a full 30 days for lease violations with the opportunity to cure or for no-cause termination at the end of a lease term. Vermont eviction laws also requires just cause for eviction under state law - a significant constraint that goes beyond what most New England states demand. Source-of-income discrimination is prohibited under Vermont eviction laws fair housing rules, meaning landlords cannot refuse a tenant solely because they receive housing assistance. An eviction filing costs between $295 and $340 in court fees, and uncontested matters typically resolve in 30 to 60 days; contested cases can stretch from 60 to 150 days, with attorney costs ranging from $750 to $3,000 depending on complexity. Average rent in Caledonia County runs approximately $905 per month, with renters making up about 41% of households. The average rent burden sits at 29.2%, and the poverty rate of 17% is meaningfully above Vermont eviction laws's statewide figure - factors that contribute to the moderate (rather than low) overall risk profile, even in a relatively landlord-friendly tier compared to the rest of the state.

Caledonia County's 4.7/10 score reflects Vermont eviction laws's strong just-cause and notice requirements operating in a rural market where average rents of $905 per month and a 29.2% rent burden create pockets of tenant financial stress, particularly in the Northeast Kingdom communities where the poverty rate reaches 17%. The county's position as 12th of 14 in Vermont places it firmly in the lower-risk of the state, with only 2 counties carrying a lower risk profile.