ATLANTA — A new analysis from Princeton University finds metro Atlanta’s eviction rate is outpacing cities across the country.
Researchers with Princeton’s Eviction Lab report that more than 144,000 eviction notices were filed across metro Atlanta over the past year.
Juan Pablo Garnham with the Eviction Lab said the numbers are concerning.
“The situation in Atlanta is pretty concerning,” Garnham said.
He said the lab tracks 37 cities and 10 states, including New York, Houston and Phoenix.
“Among all of those cities which include New York, Houston, Phoenix; Atlanta has more eviction filings than anywhere else,” he said.
He also said Atlanta’s eviction rate is hitting Black residents the hardest, with 71% of eviction notices going to African-American tenants.
According to Garnham, the number of eviction filings in metro Atlanta is higher than any of the 37 cities tracked, including New York City. He said the next closest is the entire state of Virginia at 140,000 filings.
Garnham said eviction filings can have serious consequences. “We know that with evictions, people that get filed against have higher chances of dying early. We know that it has a lot of negative consequences for kids, especially in terms of their educational outcomes,” he said.
The Eviction Lab updates its numbers monthly and hopes the data will serve as a tool for policymakers.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.