King George County, Virginia Eviction Risk: Low

King George County sits on the Potomac River in the Northern Neck corridor, a largely rural jurisdiction of roughly 10,405 residents where renters make up about 36.1% of households. The county's overall eviction risk score of 3.8/10 (Low) places it 89th of 132 Virginia counties by risk level, with 88 counties statewide carrying higher scores. That position in the lower-risk of the state reflects a local housing market shaped by proximity to Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Center, steady but modest population growth, and Virginia eviction laws's landlord-favoring legal framework - all of which combine to keep eviction risk relatively contained compared with Virginia eviction laws's urban cores.

Within the county, scores spread from 3.2 to 4.3/10, a range that is tighter than many Virginia eviction laws jurisdictions but still meaningful for landlords and renters choosing where to operate or rent. The largest community, King George, scores 4.1/10 and holds about 4,851 residents - the county seat and primary commercial hub. Dahlgren, home to approximately 3,350 people and closely tied to the naval base economy, comes in at 3.7/10, one of the lower scores in the county, which is consistent with its relatively stable, employment-anchored renter base. Passapatanzy, a smaller unincorporated community of roughly 1,259 residents, records the highest local score at 3.2/10 - the only locality in the county that approaches the lower boundary of Moderate risk territory. Dahlgren Center registers 3.8/10, tracking closely with the county average, while Fairview Beach, a waterfront community of about 180 residents, scores 4.3/10, the lowest in the county and reflective of a tight, owner-heavy housing stock.

The county's average asking rent of $1,377 per month produces an average rent burden of 29.7% of household income, just below the 30% threshold commonly used to define housing cost stress. The poverty rate of 8.1% sits well below Virginia eviction laws's statewide average and below the national figure, which limits the pool of renters at highest vulnerability to eviction proceedings. Virginia eviction laws's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Va. Code § 55.1-1200 et seq.) governs all tenancies countywide; King George has no local rent stabilization ordinance, and Virginia eviction laws's statewide preemption statute bars any locality from enacting one. For landlords, the legal environment is broadly favorable: nonpayment-of-rent notices can be served after just 5 days under Va. Code § 55.1-1245, uncontested eviction cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days, and court filing fees run $58 to $90 - among the lower-cost eviction processes in the mid-Atlantic region. For renters, protections are limited to the state baseline: a 24-hour advance entry notice requirement, habitability standards under Va. Code § 55.1-1220, and anti-retaliation protections under Va. Code § 55.1-1258. Source of income is not a protected class under Virginia eviction laws law, so landlords may decline housing voucher holders without running afoul of state fair housing rules.

King George County's Low risk designation reflects a small, relatively stable rental market anchored by federal employment at Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Center, modest rent burden, and a legal framework that gives landlords procedural advantages without the volume of disputes seen in Virginia eviction laws's urban jurisdictions. The county's score of 3.8/10 sits near the statewide middle, with 88 of Virginia's 132 counties carrying higher scores and the bulk of elevated-risk counties concentrated in the Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia metro areas.