Washington State Eviction Filings

2.1%

state eviction rate


Above historical average

since July 2023

46%

of WA renters are rent burdened

1 in 6

black adults evicted in Pierce County

Washington State & County Eviction Trends

Washington State grapples with near-record eviction rates across many counties.

Since July, 2023, Washington State has served more eviction filings than it did in 2019. This increase follows the gradual lifting of state and local pandemic protections, including the Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program (EPRAP) and the Eviction Resolution Pilot Program. In the last 12 months, King, Spokane, and Clark Counties saw the highest filing count in recorded history. Pierce and Snohomish also experienced near-record counts (compare the county table below to 2004 to 2017 trends).

  • King County's monthly filing count was mostly 60% higher than 2019 (see the graph to the right and choose counties using the dropdown).
  • Pierce County filings were mostly 20% to 48% above the 2019 monthly average.
  • Spokane County had the most months above the historical average, largely between 80% to 140%.


State filing counts have been above the historical average since July 2023.

The Washington State Eviction Filings by County graph shows the overall eviction filing counts since April 2023. As of July 2023, the state exceeded the monthly historical average. October 2023 marked the highest monthly count of over 2,000 cases per month. Since then, the state has filed roughly more than 1,900 cases per month.

  • King County served 7,362 filings in the last 12 months. The second highest count was 6,971 in 2005.
  • Clark County had the highest eviction rate (3.4 filings per 100 renters) followed by Pierce and Spokane at 2.9% and Thurston with 2.4%.
  • Washington evictions are both an urban and rural issue. Asotin, Benton, Franklin, and Lewis each have eviction rates that are above the state average of 2.1%.



Washington State Eviction Maps



Counties with more than 2,000 filings in the last 12 months:

  • King (Seattle) - 7,362
  • Pierce (Tacoma) - 3,561
  • Spokane - 2,228
  • Clark (Vancouver) - 2,150
  • Snohomish (Everett) - 2,118


Counties with top filling rates and counts:

  • Clark (Vancouver) - 2,100 evictions, 3.4% eviction rate
  • Pierce (Tacoma) - 3,500 evictions, 2.9% eviction rate
  • Spokane - 2,200 evictions, 2.9% eviction rate

Read 2020 Report

The State of Evictions: Results from the University of Washington Evictions Project