2023 was the second-busiest year on record for eviction filings in Maricopa County.
According to Maricopa County Justice Courts, Phoenix-area landlords filed 83,236 evictions last year – that's a 23% increase from the previous year. And it’s the highest number of eviction filings in the county since 2005.
Evictions are increasing in many U.S. cities, said Adam Chapnik, research specialist with the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. He said the trend is driven by rent inflation.
“Nationally, since the pandemic started, the average renter household saw a $250 increase in their rent. In Maricopa County, it was even higher," Chapnik said.
The Eviction Lab reports Maricopa County last year saw about one eviction filing per every 10 households. Not all filings lead to a tenant being removed from their home. But Chapnik said court filings also don’t reflect other ways low-income renters can be displaced as prices increase.
"We don't have data on that. But our best guess is that there is probably one person who is informally evicted for every one who is formally evicted," Chapnik said.
Maricopa County provides emergency rental assistance to some households.
Chapnik said research supports the idea that expanding rental assistance programs can reduce evictions.
