Doddridge County, West Virginia Eviction Risk: Low

Doddridge County, West Virginia scores 3.2/10 on the eviction-risk index, placing it in the Low risk tier. With only one tracked city inside the county, the intra-county range runs from 3.2 to 3.2, meaning the county average and its sole city tell essentially the same story. That score puts Doddridge County in the middle third of West Virginia eviction laws: 35 counties in the state carry more risk for landlords, while 19 are even more landlord-friendly. For investors, low risk generally signals a market where eviction proceedings are infrequent and tenant-base stability is reasonable.

The county's rental market is modest in scale. Total tracked population reaches 1,039, average rent sits at $879 per month, and the average rent burden runs 28.6% of renter income. A renter share of just 19.7% reflects a predominantly owner-occupied area, which limits rental inventory but also tends to reduce the concentration of higher-risk tenancy patterns common in denser markets. The poverty rate of 13.6% is a factor worth monitoring, though the overall risk profile remains low relative to most of West Virginia.

The cities inside Doddridge County

West Union is the single city tracked within Doddridge County, and with a population of 1,039, it accounts for the entirety of the county's scored rental market. Its eviction-risk score of 3.2/10 mirrors the county average precisely, offering no intra-county variation to navigate. For landlords, this means the county-level read is a reliable proxy for what you will encounter at the street level in West Union.

Because West Union carries a Low score, landlords operating here face a market where evictions are less likely to be triggered by systemic financial stress than in the higher-scoring urban markets elsewhere in the state. Risk remains hyper-local even within small counties like this one, so any expansion beyond West Union into adjacent markets should involve a fresh look at individual city scores.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Doddridge County operates under W. Va. Code § 37-6 (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, West Virginia eviction laws allows landlords to proceed immediately with no statutory notice period required before filing. Lease violations carry a 14-day cure notice, and end-of-term or no-cause terminations require a 30-day notice. Understanding the full West Virginia eviction process matters because timelines vary considerably once a case is filed: uncontested matters typically resolve in 21 to 45 days, while contested cases can run 45 to 100 days.

On the cost side, the West Virginia eviction costs range from a court filing fee of $75 to $150, a sheriff lockout fee of $30 to $125, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity. West Virginia eviction laws does not require just cause for nonrenewal, and state law preempts any local rent control ordinance, so landlords in Doddridge County face no additional layer of local regulation on rent increases or termination grounds.

With a poverty rate of 13.6% and a renter share of 19.7%, Doddridge County's rental pool is small but carries a manageable risk profile; see the city grid above for West Union's individual score and population detail.