Eviction Risk Score
Low
#102
of 132 VA counties
3.7 / 10
#102 of 132 counties in Virginia for landlord eviction risk.
County brief·Updated October 23, 2026
Rappahannock County, Virginia Eviction Risk: Low
4 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of Chester Gap (4.2) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.
In 2026
Risk score
3.7
LOW
Ranked #102 of 132 VA counties
1k residents · 4 cities · 2 tracts
1976–2026 · pop-weighted from cities
Rappahannock County eviction risk score history
Min2.3
Average3.3
Now3.7
Key metrics
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Tenant beats landlord26.9%/ 100 outcomesIn court-decided eviction outcomes for Rappahannock County, VA, tenants prevail in roughly 26.9% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses and longer calendars.
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Timeline54dfiling → judgmentFrom the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Rappahannock County, VA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 54 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent for landlords.
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Cost range$2.2–5.4klegal + lost rentA typical eviction in Rappahannock County, VA costs landlords $2,151 to $5,404 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent.
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Average rent$1,21923% stretched on rentAverage gross rent in Rappahannock County, VA is $1,219 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey. 23% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent.
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Renters32.4%of households32.4% of occupied housing units in Rappahannock County, VA are renter-occupied. A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings and a more active rental market.
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Poverty8.6%4.8% unemp.8.6% of Rappahannock County, VA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.8%. Both feed the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
Rappahannock County's 3.7/10 score (Low risk) reflects a low-pressure rental market with a 22.6% average rent burden and a renter share of 32.4% - both well below the Virginia norm. Ranked 102nd of 132 Virginia counties, with scores across the county's communities ranging from 3.6 to 4.2.
How Rappahannock County ranks in Virginia
Cost of living
Elevated
#16
of 51 states (statewide)
101.1 index
Virginia ranks #16 of 51 states on overall cost of living (1.1% more expensive than the U.S. avg).
Housing services cost
Elevated
#17
of 51 states (statewide)
106.8 index
Virginia ranks #17 of 51 states on housing services (6.8% more expensive than the U.S. avg).
Income spent on rent
Low
#103
of 132 VA counties
26.5% of income
#103 of 132 counties in Virginia on % of income spent on rent.
Landlord guides for Virginia
Virginia Eviction Costs →
Filing fees, attorney fees, lost rent, sheriff lockout
Virginia Eviction Process →
Step-by-step timeline, notices, statute cites
Virginia Rent Control →
Statewide caps, local ordinances, just-cause
Virginia Tenant Screening →
Five-point protocol, legal rules, protected classes
Virginia Tenant Protections →
Just cause, retaliation, habitability, entry
Cities in Rappahannock County
Sorted by Eviction Risk Score · highest first
| City↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | % income on rent↕ | Average rent↕ | Lean↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Chester Gap | 726 | 3.6 | 18.5% | $857 | Rep |
| 002 | Sperryville | 358 | 3.7 | 19.2% | $1,964 | Rep |
| 003 | Flint Hill | 275 | 3.9 | 36.2% | $1,203 | Rep |
| 004 | Washington | 45 | 4.2 | 32.0% | $1,219 | Rep |
County heatmap
Local landlord context
One county, multiple regulatory regimes.
Rappahannock County sits in the lower-risk of Virginia eviction laws's 132 counties for eviction risk, earning a county-average score of 3.7/10 (Low) and ranking 102nd of 132 statewide. With 114 counties carrying higher risk and only 17 carrying lower risk, Rappahannock stands out as one of the more landlord-favorable jurisdictions in a state that already leans toward landlord interests at the statutory level. Scores across the county's four incorporated places range from 3.6 to 4.2, a narrow spread that reflects the county's uniformly rural character and relatively modest rental market pressures.
The county's largest community by population is Chester Gap (3.6/10), followed by Sperryville (3.7/10) and Flint Hill (3.9/10). The smallest incorporated place, Washington (4.2/10), sits at the lower end of the county's score range. The riskiest-rated community, Chester eviction risk Gap, still scores well below the Virginia eviction laws statewide average of 4.3/10, underscoring how broadly tenant-protective this corner of the Piedmont is compared with the state's urban core. Renter households make up just 32.4% of the county's occupied housing units - well below the statewide norm - and the average gross rent of $1,219 per month carries a rent burden of only 22.6%, both of which reduce the financial precarity that tends to drive eviction filings in higher-risk counties.
Virginia eviction laws's landlord-tenant framework, codified under Va. Code § 55.1-1200 et seq., sets the ceiling for tenant protections in Rappahannock. The state preempts local rent control ordinances, so no municipality within the county can cap rent increases independently of state law. There is no just-cause-for-eviction requirement, meaning landlords are not obligated to provide a reason when declining to renew a lease. Source-of-income discrimination is not a protected class under state law. The combination of these statutory gaps - alongside the county's low population of 1,404 and poverty rate of 8.6% - means that while financial stress is relatively limited here compared with Virginia eviction laws's urban markets, renters who do fall behind on rent have few procedural backstops beyond Virginia eviction laws's uniform notice-and-cure timelines: a 5-day pay-or-quit notice for nonpayment of rent and a 21-day cure period for material lease violations. Uncontested eviction proceedings typically resolve in 21 to 45 days from filing, one of the faster timelines among comparable rural Virginia eviction laws counties.
Rappahannock County's 3.7/10 score reflects a rental market with limited financial stress - a 22.6% average rent burden and 8.6% poverty rate keep eviction pressure low - but Virginia eviction laws's landlord-favorable statutes mean tenants still have minimal procedural recourse when disputes arise. The county's rural scale and narrow intra-county score spread (3.6 to 4.2) indicate that risk factors are distributed evenly across its communities rather than concentrated in any single area.
Eviction filings in Virginia
The Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System covers Virginia statewide (no county-level tracker available for Rappahannock County). In the past month, 10,534 statewide filings were recorded, 1.07× the historical baseline (near baseline).
- 10,534Past month (state)
- 139,873Past 12 months
- 1.02×vs baseline (12 mo)
Virginia statewide, last 36 months
2023-05-01 – 2026-04-01
Notice requirement: at least five days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: minimum filing fee of $36.
1 Eviction filings in Rappahannock County
In August 2025, 2 eviction filings were recorded in Rappahannock County, 100.0% of the historical average (near average).2
- 2Aug 2025
- 100.0%of historical avg
- 633Renter households
- 9.5%Poverty rate
Last 24 months of filings
2023-01 – 2025-08
Historical eviction filings in Rappahannock County
From 2010 to 2016, eviction filings in Rappahannock County declined 38%. The peak was 29 filings in 2010.3
- 292010
- 29Peak (2010)
- 182016
Annual filings 2010–2016
No filing data published after 2018
Data covers 2000–2018, the full span of the Princeton Eviction Lab's national county court-records dataset.
How Rappahannock County compares
At 3.7/10, Rappahannock County scores below the Virginia statewide average of 4.3/10 and lands in the lower-risk of all 132 Virginia counties. Nearby peer counties - including Madison County, Goochland County, and Lancaster County - score at roughly comparable levels, reflecting a cluster of rural Piedmont jurisdictions that share low renter density and modest rent burdens. Richmond eviction risk County and Buckingham County sit in a similarly landlord-favorable range. None of these peers approach the elevated scores seen in Northern Virginia's suburban jurisdictions, where higher rents, larger renter populations, and denser housing courts push risk substantially higher.
Peer counties in Virginia
Peer county
Lancaster County eviction risk
3.7
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 1.3K
Peer county
Bland County eviction risk
3.7
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 1.1K
Peer county
Surry County eviction risk
3.6
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 1.1K
Peer county
Dinwiddie County eviction risk
3.6
/ 10 · Low
Pop. 1.1K
Where eviction risk concentrates in Rappahannock County
Top cities by population
Frequently asked
Frequently asked questions about Rappahannock County
Q1
What is Rappahannock County's eviction risk score?
Rappahannock County currently scores 3.7/10, placing it in the Low risk category and ranking 102nd of 132 Virginia counties. That position means 114 Virginia eviction laws counties carry higher eviction risk and only 17 carry lower risk.
Q2
How does Rappahannock County compare to the Virginia average?
Q3
Which communities in Rappahannock County have the highest eviction risk?
Chester Gap carries the highest score at 3.6/10, followed by Flint Hill at 3.9/10, Sperryville at 3.7/10, and Washington at 4.2/10. The spread from 3.6 to 4.2 is narrow, reflecting the county's uniformly rural and low-density character.
Q4
Does Rappahannock County have rent control?
No. Virginia eviction laws state law preempts local rent control ordinances, so neither Rappahannock County nor any of its communities can cap rent increases. There is no state-level rent cap formula either, meaning landlords may raise rents without statutory limit between tenancies.
Q5
How long does an eviction take in Rappahannock County, Virginia?
Under Virginia eviction laws law, a landlord must serve a 5-day pay-or-quit notice for nonpayment of rent before filing. After filing, an uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 45 days. Contested cases can extend to 45 to 120 days. Court filing fees run $58 to $90, and sheriff's service fees add $40 to $150.
Q6
Are section 8 vouchers and other housing subsidies protected in Rappahannock County?
No. Virginia eviction laws does not include source of income as a protected class under state fair housing law, and Rappahannock County has no local ordinance extending that protection. Landlords in the county are legally permitted to decline housing subsidy vouchers as a matter of policy.