PA Eviction Rates Rising In Southeast PA Counties, New Report Says

PENNSYLVANIA - Eviction filings are on the rise in Pennsylvania, reaching near pre-pandemic levels for the first time and primarily affecting 20 counties, including those in the southeast region of the state, according to a new report published by housing advocates this month.

The report, dubbed "After The Pause: The Rise of Eviction Filings Post-Pandemic" and released by the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, analyzes eviction flings documented in the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts over a five-year span from July 2018 to June 2023.

The report found the Keystone State’s eviction filings have surged back to figures not seen since 2019 after tenant protections and financial assistance programs helped to cut those levels in half during the COVID pandemic. 115,000 households over the course of the year, or 310 renters daily, are facing eviction filings — over 90 percent of which involve past due rent.

"In PA, the eviction filing rate followed a distinct trajectory. Before the pandemic, it was 7.3%, meaning that approximately 7.3 out of every 100 rental households faced eviction filings," the report reads. "This year, PA’s eviction filing rate has returned to pre-pandemic levels, now at 7.1%," adding that in the state, 1 in every 14 renter households faces the risk of experiencing an eviction filing.

The same counties facing the highest levels of eviction filings are the same in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic numbers: Philadelphia and Allegheny took the lead with filings in the five figures from July 2018-19 and July 2022-23; Delaware and Montgomery counties followed suit with figures between 6,000 and 8,000 eviction filings.

The number of tenants who are facing eviction are also behind on rent by more than three months, marking an increase from 26 percent pre-pandemic to 31 percent, according to the report.

"Many renters are forgoing basic necessities like food or medicine to make the rent," the report reads. "During the pandemic, the robust financial assistance programs and tenant protections afforded to struggling families cut the eviction crisis in half. Unfortunately, as those resources and protections dry up, there is a return to pre-pandemic filing rates."

However, an analysis of filing rates found that counties such as Philadelphia and Allegheny exhibit lower filing rates compared to counties with fewer renter households. In fact, Philadelphia, Allegheny, Berks, Dauphin, Westmoreland, and other counties saw decreases to both the number of filings and filing rates over time while counties like Montgomery, Chester, York, Lancaster, and Delaware have witnessed increases in both filing numbers and rates since before the pandemic.

Advocates say they will continue to evaluate the root cause of evictions, who is at risk and where evictions are taking place, as well as work with local communities to implement programs to prevent evictions in the Commonwealth.

You can view and download the full report here.