Salem, Virginia Eviction Risk: Low

Salem eviction risk city County carries an average eviction-risk score of 3.3/10, placing it in the Moderate tier and in the higher-risk third of Virginia's 132 counties and independent cities. Thirty-four jurisdictions across Virginia score higher, while 97 score lower, meaning landlords here face meaningfully more friction than the majority of the state's markets. With average rent at $1,133 per month and a rent burden of 30.3%, a notable share of renters are stretched thin, which tends to correlate with elevated nonpayment pressure on landlords.

Because Salem city County is a single-city independent city, there is no intra-county spread to navigate: the county score and the city score are both 3.3/10. Investors should treat that figure as a precise read rather than an average obscuring local variation. A renter share of 37.2% and a total population of 25,618 define a small but meaningfully renter-oriented market where portfolio performance tracks closely to local economic conditions.

The cities inside Salem city County

Salem is the only city within Salem city County and accounts for the entire county population of 25,618. Its score of 3.3/10 reflects moderate risk, consistent with what landlords encounter in comparable Virginia independent cities. Risk is inherently hyper-local even within small markets, and comparing Salem against nearby peer cities such as Waynesboro city (5.27/10), Fredericksburg city (5.3/10), and Staunton city (5.19/10) shows that Salem sits squarely in the middle of that peer cluster. Investors evaluating the Shenandoah Valley and central Virginia corridor should model Salem against those peers before committing capital.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlord-tenant relationships in Salem are governed by the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Va. Code § 55.1-1200 et seq. For nonpayment of rent, Virginia law requires a 5-day notice before filing; a material lease violation triggers a 21-day cure-or-quit notice under Va. Code § 55.1-1245(A), while a material non-curable breach or a month-to-month termination each require 30 days. Once filed, uncontested cases resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested matters stretch to 45 to 120 days. The Virginia eviction process carries a court filing fee of $58 to $90, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $150, and attorney fees that typically run $500 to $3,000, so a single contested case can cost a landlord several thousand dollars before the unit is recovered. Reviewing Virginia eviction costs in detail before underwriting a deal here is a practical necessity.

Virginia does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Salem landlords face no local rent cap. Source-of-income is not a protected class under current state law. Landlords must give 24 hours notice before entry under Va. Code § 55.1-1220, and retaliation protections for tenants are codified at Va. Code § 55.1-1258.

With a poverty rate of 10.9% and 37.2% of residents renting, Salem city County's operating environment rewards landlords who price units carefully and screen tenants rigorously; the city grid above shows how Salem's 3.3/10 score stacks up against every comparable Virginia market.