Johnson County, Wyoming Eviction Risk: Low

Johnson County, Wyoming registers a 2.6/10 eviction risk score (Low), placing it 13th out of 23 counties statewide. Twelve Wyoming counties carry a higher risk score and ten sit lower, putting Johnson County squarely in the middle tier for the state. Scores across the county's two tracked cities span a narrow band, from 2.4 to 2.6/10 -- a tight range that reflects how uniformly Wyoming state law governs landlord-tenant relations without meaningful local variation.

Buffalo, the county seat and home to roughly 4,572 of the county's 4,852 total residents, scores 2.6/10 -- matching the county average. Kaycee, a small ranching community of about 280 people in the county's southern reaches, scores 2.4/10, the lower end of the local range. Both figures land well below the Wyoming statewide average of 2.7/10, which itself trails most of the country. The county's average rent of $1,024 per month and a rent burden rate of 27.2% of household income sit in a range where eviction pressure remains modest but not absent -- about 20.7% of households here rent rather than own, and 11.7% of residents live below the poverty line, a combination that keeps a steady subset of tenants financially exposed to any income disruption.

Wyoming's landlord-tenant framework under Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1201 et seq. is deliberately lean: no rent control exists anywhere in the state, and a 2023 preemption statute formally bars local governments from enacting it. Landlords owe tenants only a 3-day notice for nonpayment or a lease violation before filing, and a 30-day notice for no-cause terminations at the end of a lease term. Court filing fees run $85 to $175 depending on the Johnson County circuit court docket, and uncontested evictions typically conclude in 21 to 45 days. Contested matters take longer -- usually 45 to 100 days -- though Johnson County's small docket size means scheduling delays are generally shorter than in Wyoming's larger urban counties. The habitability standard under Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1203 requires landlords to maintain fit and habitable premises, but the statute carries no explicit retaliation protection language, and source-of-income discrimination is not a protected class under Wyoming law. Fair housing complaints flow through the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Labor Standards division. For landlords operating in Johnson County, the procedural environment is straightforward and costs are predictable; the modest score reflects a market where eviction is legally uncomplicated but rarely necessary given the county's small renter pool and relatively stable economic base anchored by ranching, oil field services, and the regional economy around Buffalo eviction risk.

Johnson County's 2.6/10 score reflects Wyoming eviction laws's structurally landlord-favorable legal framework -- short notice windows, no rent control, and no just-cause requirement -- applied to a small, low-density rental market where average rents of $1,024/month and a 27.2% rent burden keep financial stress at a manageable level for most tenants. The county's low renter share (20.7%) limits overall eviction volume even during economic downturns.