Introduction

Evictions have become one of the most visible manifestations of the housing affordability crisis in the United States. Each year, nearly four million eviction lawsuits are filed against renter households, most of which are for non-payment of rent. As rent prices reach record highs, understanding the scale and impact of eviction is more critical than ever.¹

Most instances of eviction in the United States occur informally, outside the legal system.² Formal evictions that run through the legal system when a landlord files an eviction lawsuit in court, however, have been shown to have lasting negative impacts on physical and mental health and create barriers to securing future housing, notably for Black women and children who face disproportionate risk of eviction.³

What we know about formal eviction in the United States is from eviction court records—or the information amassed as an eviction lawsuit makes its way through the court system.⁴ But access to eviction court records varies widely across the U.S. These records are not commonly standardized across (and often even within) court systems, meaning this data is often incomplete, inaccurate, or inconsistent.⁵ As a result, collecting and analyzing this data can be extremely resource-intensive and difficult to replicate. But just as high-quality court eviction data is critical to understanding evictions, so too is high-quality eviction analysis.

“Just as high-quality court eviction data is critical to understanding evictions, so too is high-quality eviction analysis.”

Digging into court eviction records can help reveal the story behind an individual eviction court case that, when aggregated, provides a powerful account of how forced displacement impacts communities across the United States. For eviction data analysis to be impactful, it must address questions that are meaningful for understanding and preventing eviction in a local context. Due to the wide disparities in data quality and accessibility across the U.S., however, determining which eviction-related questions can reasonably be answered with available court data can be challenging.

To address this challenge, Understanding Evictions: A Guide to Using Local Court Data offers 14 common questions that can be explored through court eviction data. By offering a road map and key considerations, the guide seeks to support those looking to use court data to better understand and prevent evictions in their communities.

This guide is organized into three sections. The first section describes the guide’s purpose and how it can be used. The second section covers the elements of good stewardship of court eviction data. The third section presents five areas of inquiry to gather insights on key aspects of eviction lawsuits, with 14 common questions that can be addressed using court eviction data. Throughout the guide, case studies highlight local initiatives that seek to improve eviction data and analysis in jurisdictions across the United States.