Eviction statistics measure different points in the housing process. A filing is a court case, while a physical eviction means a household actually left its home. Survey estimates measure what renters say they expect, not court outcomes. The figures below keep those distinctions and measurement periods visible.
Contents
- National estimates and measurement differences
- What happened in tracked locations in 2024
- Rent delinquency and expected eviction
- Age, sex, and household composition
- Race, orientation, and education
- Income, employment, and disability
National estimates and measurement differences
National eviction figures are not interchangeable. The Eviction Lab estimated 7.8 eviction filings per 100 renting households in 2018. A separate American Housing Survey-based estimate put the national physical eviction rate at 5.3% in 2017. The first figure counts court filings; the second estimates households that physically left after an eviction.
The Government Accountability Office reported that the Legal Services Corporation had at least one year of eviction-filing data from 2016 through September 2023 for every county in 18 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Among 1,310 counties and municipalities with LSC data, the filing rate ranged from 0% to 40.33% during October 2022–September 2023. That range shows why a national figure can conceal substantial local variation. (GAO-24-106637, EVICTIONS: National Data Are Limited and Challenging to Collect)
The same GAO source describes a Census and Eviction Lab study that linked 38 million eviction-court-record files to administrative data for 2007–2016. Among matched records, Black or African American people accounted for 51.1% of individuals affected by eviction filings and 43.4% of people receiving an eviction judgment. Adults living with at least one child had a 10.4% eviction-filing rate, compared with 5.0% for adults without a child.
Physical eviction can also include informal displacement. A Milwaukee-area survey estimated a 9.4% physical-eviction rate over two years: 3.1% formal evictions and 6.2% informal evictions. This survey estimate is not a national rate. The GAO report also notes that national eviction data are limited and challenging to collect, so older estimates should not be treated as independently verified current totals. (GAO-24-106637, EVICTIONS: National Data Are Limited and Challenging to Collect)
What happened in tracked locations in 2024
Eviction Lab reported more than 1 million eviction cases filed in the jurisdictions it tracked during 2024. That total was about 4% below a typical pre-pandemic year. Across tracked cities, the overall eviction-filing rate was 8.0%; when tracked full states were included, the rate was 7.6%. These are tracked-jurisdiction measures, not a complete national count. (Preliminary Analysis: Eviction Filing Patterns in 2024)
Ten of the 35 tracked cities had 2024 filing rates above 10%. Richmond recorded the highest city rate at 24.1%, compared with 27.6% before the pandemic. Charleston’s rate was 15.8%, down from 22.7% before the pandemic. Phoenix recorded 86,946 filings and a 14.3% rate, up from 10.6% before the pandemic; its 2024 total was about 23,000 filings higher than in a typical pre-pandemic year.
| Tracked location | 2024 filing rate | Comparison with pre-pandemic level |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 24.1% | 27.6% before the pandemic |
| Charleston | 15.8% | 22.7% before the pandemic |
| Phoenix | 14.3% | 10.6% before the pandemic |
| Las Vegas | 14.3% | 9.8% before the pandemic |
| Nashville | 8.9% | 6.4% before the pandemic |
Las Vegas had the largest tracked increase, rising from 9.8% before the pandemic to 14.3% in 2024, an increase of 16,750 filings. Nashville rose from 6.4% to 8.9%, or about 4,000 additional filings. Overall, 15 of the 35 tracked cities had higher filing rates in 2024 than their pre-pandemic norm. Women were named on 58% of 2024 filings while representing 53% of the tracked renting population. (Preliminary Analysis: Eviction Filing Patterns in 2024)
Rent delinquency and expected eviction
The Census Housing Table 3b estimated 7,099,049 adults in renter-occupied homes were not current on rent during April 30–May 27, 2024. Of those adults, 1,063,308 said eviction in the next two months was very likely, while 1,639,592 said it was somewhat likely. These are survey estimates of reported likelihood, not counts of completed evictions. (Housing Table 3b)
The estimates varied by how long rent had been overdue:
- Less than one month behind: 21,107 adults said eviction was very likely and 53,131 said it was somewhat likely.
- One month behind: 204,138 said very likely and 591,306 somewhat likely.
- Two months behind: 482,984 said very likely and 414,667 somewhat likely.
- Three months behind: 101,510 said very likely and 251,657 somewhat likely.
- Four months behind: 39,425 said very likely and 35,482 somewhat likely.
- Six months behind: 60,911 said very likely and 54,532 somewhat likely.
- Eight months or more behind: 108,937 said very likely and 160,704 somewhat likely.
The categories do not form a simple progression: the survey estimates reflect the composition and responses of people in each delinquency group during that period. They should be read as a snapshot of expected risk among renters behind on payments, rather than a forecast of future court filings.
Age, sex, and household composition
Among renters behind on payments, the Census estimated that 90,337 adults aged 18–24 said eviction was very likely and 113,344 said it was somewhat likely. The corresponding estimates for ages 25–39 were 356,680 and 561,134; for ages 40–54, 500,471 and 506,784; for ages 55–64, 99,721 and 362,686; and for ages 65 and older, 16,098 and 95,644.
By sex, 422,812 male renters behind on payments said eviction was very likely and 616,414 said it was somewhat likely. Among female renters, the corresponding estimates were 640,496 and 1,023,178. These figures describe estimated adults within the survey categories and should not be interpreted as a rate for every person in each demographic group.
Household composition also matters to the way the survey results are reported. Among renters behind on payments who lived with children, 553,291 adults said eviction was very likely and 808,743 said it was somewhat likely. Among those without children, the estimates were 510,017 and 830,849. In the Census/Eviction Lab matched study covering 2007–2016, adults living with at least one child had a 10.4% filing rate, compared with 5.0% for adults without a child. The two sets of figures use different methods and periods, so they are not direct substitutes. (Housing Table 3b; GAO-24-106637)
Race, orientation, and education
For renters behind on payments during April 30–May 27, 2024, the Census estimated the following counts of adults reporting that eviction was very likely or somewhat likely:
- Hispanic or Latino renters: 380,847 very likely and 229,404 somewhat likely.
- Non-Hispanic White renters: 212,083 very likely and 713,874 somewhat likely.
- Non-Hispanic Black renters: 410,447 very likely and 432,588 somewhat likely.
- Non-Hispanic Asian renters: 8,934 very likely and 65,846 somewhat likely.
The survey also estimated 39,264 gay or lesbian renters said eviction was very likely and 58,457 said it was somewhat likely. Among bisexual renters, the corresponding estimates were 55,046 and 123,019. Among transgender renters, they were 8,748 and 51,490.
Education categories show another set of estimated counts: renters behind on payments with less than a high-school education included 192,630 adults reporting eviction as very likely and 167,068 as somewhat likely. For renters with a high-school diploma or GED, the figures were 476,964 and 729,786. For renters with a bachelor’s degree or higher, they were 54,136 and 175,053. These are survey estimates for the specified period, not findings that education alone causes eviction risk. (Housing Table 3b)
Income, employment, and disability
Among married renters behind on payments, 401,808 adults said eviction was very likely and 448,242 said it was somewhat likely. For divorced or separated renters, the estimates were 289,461 and 477,544. For never-married renters, they were 355,121 and 648,091. Among renters in one-person households, 136,182 adults reported very likely eviction and 213,772 reported somewhat likely eviction.
Employment and income categories provide additional context. Where the household experienced employment-income loss in the previous four weeks, 641,852 adults said eviction was very likely and 679,698 said it was somewhat likely. Where the household did not experience that loss, the estimates were 421,456 and 959,893. Among employed renters behind on payments, 427,008 adults reported very likely eviction and 1,025,109 somewhat likely eviction.
For households with income below $25,000, the estimates were 467,702 adults saying very likely and 624,365 saying somewhat likely. For households with income of $100,000–$149,999, the estimates were 10,791 and 33,760. Finally, among renters behind on payments who reported a lot of difficulty remembering or concentrating, 65,980 adults said eviction was very likely and 187,335 said it was somewhat likely.
Together, these figures show why an eviction statistic needs a definition, a population, a geography, and a measurement date. Filing rates describe court activity in tracked places; physical-eviction estimates describe displacement; and Census figures describe reported expectations among renters who were behind on rent during a particular survey window. (Housing Table 3b)