Monongalia County, West Virginia Eviction Risk: Low

Monongalia County carries an average eviction-risk score of 3.1/10 (Low) across its 11 tracked cities, placing it squarely in the middle third of West Virginia counties: 24 counties in the state are riskier and 30 are less risky. For landlords, that aggregate number tells an encouraging story, but the intra-county spread from 2.6 to 4.7 is wide enough that where you own a unit matters as much as the county headline. With average rent at $998 and a rent burden of 35.1%, a meaningful share of tenants are already stretching their budgets, which shows up in pockets of elevated risk even within a low-scoring county.

The county's 42.7% renter share is relatively high, meaning demand for rental housing is real and sustained. Investors evaluating Monongalia County should treat the aggregate score as a ceiling check rather than a floor guarantee: the county will not produce outsized eviction exposure at the portfolio level, but individual city selection still drives real performance differences.

The cities inside Monongalia County

The highest-risk locations in the county are Westover (4.7/10, population 4,026) and Granville (4.7/10, population 1,257), both at the top of the county range and worth close tenant-screening attention. Brookhaven follows at 4.3/10 (population 6,212), and Cheat Lake sits at 4.2/10 (population 10,902). These four communities drive most of the county's risk concentration and should be underwritten differently from the county average.

On the low-risk end, Star City scores 2.6/10 and Morgantown, the county seat and by far the largest city at 30,236 residents, scores 2.8/10. Cassville and Pentress each score 3/10. The gap between Star City at 2.6 and Westover at 4.7 illustrates how hyper-local risk is here: two communities within the same county can sit nearly two full points apart on the scale.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Monongalia County operates under West Virginia state law. Under W. Va. Code § 37-6 (Landlord and Tenant), non-payment of rent requires no advance notice before filing, a lease-violation cure notice is 14 days, and a no-cause end-of-term notice is 30 days. The full West Virginia eviction process from filing to writ runs 21 to 45 days uncontested and 45 to 100 days if the tenant contests. Court filing fees range from $75 to $150, sheriff lockout fees from $30 to $125, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500. Understanding West Virginia eviction costs in full helps landlords budget accurately before a problem tenant arises. West Virginia eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction and state law preempts any local rent control, so no municipality in Monongalia County can impose rent caps or additional just-cause requirements beyond the state baseline.

With a poverty rate of 23.1% across the county, some risk remains even in low-scoring cities; use the city grid above to identify which specific communities within Monongalia County carry the most exposure before committing to a purchase or lease-up.