McDowell County, West Virginia Eviction Risk: Low

McDowell County scores 2.8/10 (Low) across its 17 tracked cities, placing it among the less risky markets in West Virginia and ranking 45th of 55 counties statewide, meaning 44 counties carry higher eviction risk. For landlords and investors, that aggregate number signals a market where tenant payment pressure and legal friction are comparatively modest, but it does not mean conditions are uniform. The county's total population sits at roughly 7,466, average rent runs $490 per month, and the average rent burden among renters is 37.2%, a figure that deserves attention even in a low-risk county because cost-stressed tenants can tip into non-payment quickly when income disrupts.

The intra-county score range, 1.8 to 3.4, is wide enough that property location within McDowell County matters as much as the county-level headline. Landlords who evaluate only the county average and then acquire in the wrong pocket of the market can find operating conditions meaningfully harder than the 2.8 number implies.

The cities inside McDowell County

The highest-risk pocket is Kimball, scoring 3.4/10, followed closely by War at 3.3/10 (population 628) and Welch at 3.2/10 (population 3,507, the county's largest city). Bradshaw also sits at 3.2/10. These four communities cluster near the top of the county range and represent the markets where vacancy risk, tenant distress, and collection difficulty are most likely to affect returns.

At the other end of the spectrum, Bartley scores 1.8/10 and Gary scores 1.9/10 (population 861), both representing the most landlord-favorable conditions the county offers. Davy also comes in at 1.9/10. Mid-tier markets like Iaeger (2.3/10, population 253) occupy a more neutral band. The takeaway for investors doing due diligence is straightforward: risk is hyper-local here, and city-level scores should anchor acquisition and underwriting decisions rather than the county average alone.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in McDowell County operates under West Virginia eviction laws state law, specifically W. Va. Code § 37-6 (Landlord and Tenant). For non-payment of rent, West Virginia eviction laws allows landlords to proceed with no notice period before filing. Lease violations that can be cured require a 14-day notice, and no-cause end-of-term terminations require 30 days. Understanding the full West Virginia eviction laws eviction process before your first filing is essential, because an uncontested eviction runs 21 to 45 days and a contested case can stretch to 45 to 100 days. On the cost side, reviewing West Virginia eviction costs is equally important: court filing fees run $75 to $150, sheriff lockout fees add $30 to $125, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity.

West Virginia eviction laws imposes no just-cause requirement for evictions and no rent control, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so landlords in McDowell County face no local regulatory layer beyond state statute. Source-of-income is not a protected class under state law. These are meaningful structural advantages compared to more regulated markets.

With a poverty rate of 28.1% and a renter share of 24.9%, McDowell County's rental base is small and economically stressed, making tenant screening and lease terms critical variables; the city-level scores in the grid above identify the specific communities where that stress is highest.