Jennifer Pullen, Senior Research Economist, Economic and Business Research Center
There have been increasing concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic will cause an eviction crisis across the country. A recent report “The COVID-19 Eviction Crisis” published by the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that 30-40 million people in America could be at risk for eviction in the next few months. This is a particular concern for Arizona which already had high eviction rates before the pandemic began. In 2016, the state of Arizona had the highest eviction rate among western states at 3.9%, according to data from the Eviction Lab (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Eviction Rates (2016), Western States and the U.S.
The looming eviction crisis is also a concern for the Tucson Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which had higher eviction rates than the state or the nation in 2015. Tucson’s eviction rate of 5.1% was 1.2 percentage points higher than the state and almost double the national rate.
The moratorium on evictions has temporarily allowed renters to stay in their homes. However, they are still legally responsible for any rental debt they accumulate during this time. The moratorium on evictions has had consequences that extend beyond renters. A Brookings Institute report found that 40% of residential property units are owned by individual investor landlords, many who rely on rent for their income.
It will be important to tract evictions as the moratorium is lifted. To read the full article on evictions visit the MAP Dashboard. Also, stay tuned to the MAP for an update on evictions and additional analysis on housing as the moratorium expires and more data become available.
