Nearly two years after the federal government lifted COVID-19 pandemic-era eviction moratoriums, evictions are surging in some of the most popular boomtowns for one simple reason: The rent is too high.
Princeton University’s Eviction Lab tracks eviction filings across 10 states and 34 cities and recorded 1,078,856 evictions nationwide over the past year.
The lab’s data doesn’t comprehensively cover all parts of the country. But Communications and Policy Engagement Manager Juan Pablo Garnham notes that, while boomtowns aren’t necessarily the places with the most evictions, the cities are experiencing the highest percentage increase in the number of evictions filed compared with pre-pandemic times.
Popular boomtowns like Minneapolis and Columbus, OH, are seeing a steep increase in the number of evictions filed compared with pre-pandemic numbers, according to the lab’s data. In Minneapolis, evictions have climbed by 44% compared with 2019 levels, while Columbus’ rate has increased by 37%.
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Even now that the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, people are still moving to these areas, which is also contributing to the high eviction rates.
“Housing demand has significantly increased, and landlords know that they can get away with charging more for rent,” says Seamus Nally, CEO of real estate management company TurboTenant. “So those price increases have led to lots of people not being able to afford their rent and thus getting evicted.”
Why the Sun Belt boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic
Among the cities and states covered by the lab’s study, the Sun Belt is seeing the most post-pandemic eviction turmoil. The Sun Belt stretches across 18 states from Sacramento, CA, in the West to Raleigh, NC, in the East and is one of the fastest-growing areas of the country.
Despite the sometimes scorching heat, 12 of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. are in the Sun Belt, according to a 2024 report from real estate investment company Clarion Partners. The lower half of the Lower 48 states comprise around 50% of the country’s population. Over the next decade, the region’s population is expected to grow by 7%, while other parts of the country are expected to see a 0.3% growth rate.
The Sun Belt has historically benefited from relatively inexpensive housing and warmer climes—even in the 1970s and ’80s, when the housing supply in the region outpaced the rest of the country by 20%. People were typically drawn to the mild winters and the relative affordability. The Sun Belt is also an area that’s enjoyed a growing job market. Nine out of 10 cities with the best job markets are in the Sun Belt, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
“Many Sun Belt cities, even the larger ones, are more affordable to live in compared to other big cities in the U.S.,” says Nally. “People also have the opportunity for more space in areas like these, which was highly desired during the pandemic when we were all stuck at home.”
Rent increases have left many struggling
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Though there are ample jobs in the Sun Belt, there are also affordability challenges. Rents are stable or falling in many parts of the country—but not in the South.
Tampa, FL, Miami, Virginia Beach, VA, Raleigh, and Birmingham, AL, were among the top 10 cities with the largest rent increases compared with pre-pandemic times.
Realtor.com® economist Jiayi Xu notes that increasing rents are a major factor contributing to eviction rates.
“Among the top 10 markets with the largest percentage increase in rents compared with the pre-pandemic period, five of them were in the South, mirroring the increasing eviction filings seen from the data,” she says in the Realtor.com June rental report.
While some Sun Belt cities are seeing rents drop, many are still riding the pandemic boom, says Xu. And the high rents prove it.
Tampa’s average monthly rent as of June 2024 was $1,752, a 39.5% increase from 2019. Birmingham has experienced a 29.4% increase in rent since June 2019.
Those increases are at odds with overall national trends, which show median rents at a slight decline year over year. With pandemic-era rent assistance programs and eviction moratoriums coming to a close, many people have been left vulnerable.
Weak tenant protection laws are part of the problem
Several of the states with the largest eviction increases also have thin tenant protection laws.
Florida has some of the weakest tenant protection laws in the country, a study from the University of North Florida has found. Duval County, which includes the city of Jacksonville, is considered “the eviction capital of the world,” due in large part to the huge influx of corporate real estate investors who are focused on turning a profit.
“Across the country, we see rising rents, poor renter protections, and a lack of affordable housing as some of the factors that experts and advocates mention,” Garnham says. “Sometimes, for example, a city might be relatively affordable but has regulations that make it extremely easy to evict and landlords that are particularly active in using evictions as a rent-collecting tool.”
Evictions are devastating because they often lead to homelessness, financial hardship, and severe emotional stress. They disrupt family stability, negatively affect children’s education, and carry a social stigma that complicates securing future housing or employment.
Garnham encourages renters who are facing eviction to seek help as soon as possible and recommends reaching out to local Legal Aid services and rent assistance programs. He also suggests mediation services as a possible way to come to a compromise with a landlord.
“The best time to stop an eviction and its consequences is before it’s even filed,” he says. “But what we really need is for our country to provide more affordable housing so we can stop this problem at its root.”
