Wise County, Virginia Eviction Risk: Moderate

Wise County scores 4.1/10 (Moderate) on the eviction-risk index, placing it at rank 99 of 132 Virginia eviction laws counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk. That means 98 counties in Virginia carry more risk for landlords than Wise County does, and only 33 are considered lower-risk, putting this market in the lower-risk third of the state. For investors, that framing matters: a Moderate score here reflects a county where operating conditions are manageable, but not without friction. Average rent runs $783 per month, rent burden sits at 24% of income, and the renter share of households is 34.8%, a meaningful rental market in an area anchored by coal-country economic realities.

The county covers 8 incorporated places with a combined tracked population of 13,588. Scores across those communities span a notable range, from 2.7 to 4.3, which means the aggregate county number can obscure real differences on the ground. Landlords who treat Wise County as a single undifferentiated market will miss the granular risk picture that actually drives tenant-payment stability and collection outcomes.

The cities inside Wise County

The highest-risk communities in the county are Big Stone Gap (4.3/10, population 5,162) and Appalachia (4.3/10, population 1,391). Both sit at the top of the county's risk range. The University of Virginia's College at Wise and Dunbar each score 4.2/10, while the county seats of Wise and Coeburn both come in at 4.1/10. Pound, at 3.9/10, is somewhat softer in risk terms.

The standout low-risk location is St. Paul, which scores 2.7/10 on a population of 963. That score is considerably below the county average and suggests a materially different operating environment than what landlords face in Big Stone Gap or Appalachia. For investors evaluating specific acquisitions, the difference between a 2.7 and a 4.3 within the same county underscores that risk is hyper-local and should be assessed at the city level, not county-wide.

State-level laws that apply here

Virginia eviction process rules govern all Wise County landlords under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. For nonpayment of rent, landlords must serve a 5-day notice before filing. A material lease violation requires a 21-day cure-or-quit notice, and a material non-curable breach or end of a month-to-month tenancy each require 30 days. Court filing fees run $58 to $90, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $150, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $3,000, meaning a contested case can carry total out-of-pocket costs well above the filing fee alone. Uncontested proceedings typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested cases can run 45 to 120 days.

Virginia does not require just cause to end a tenancy, and the state preempts any local rent control, so no Wise County municipality can impose a rent cap. Virginia eviction costs are worth projecting before purchasing any rental unit here, since the attorney-fee range alone can dwarf a month's rent at the county average. Landlords should also note that Virginia security deposit limits and other tenant-protection rules under state law apply uniformly across all eight communities in the county, regardless of local political variation.

With a poverty rate of 26.6% across the county, tenant financial stability is the primary variable to underwrite; the city grid above breaks out each community's individual risk score so you can pinpoint where that pressure is most concentrated.