Landlords in metro Atlanta have filed an estimated 144,003 eviction cases in just one year, according to Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, with 13,118 filings in the most recent month alone. The tally spans Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties and comes as renters in the area face average monthly payments of about $1,739, a combination that is turning housing stress into a routine part of life for many tenants.
The numbers come from the Eviction Lab’s city tracking system, which compiles dispossessory complaints and related demographic data from county courts, according to Eviction Lab. For the five-county Atlanta region, the dataset covers 572,679 renter households and is updated each month so residents and officials can see where filings are climbing the fastest.
Local reporting by WABE breaks down those filings and shows how unevenly the burden falls. Black renters make up roughly 53% of the metro area’s renter population yet account for about 71% of eviction filings, or around 77,249 cases over the past 12 months. “The scale of the issue in Atlanta … it’s awful. There’s no way to get around that,” Sarah Johnson, a research specialist with the Eviction Lab, told WABE.
Princeton researchers and local coverage also point out that metro Atlanta’s total outpaces many other places the lab tracks. The regional filing count is higher than the number of cases recorded in New York City and even tops the total reported for the entire state of Virginia in the lab’s city and state comparisons, highlighting how concentrated the problem has become here, according to WSB Radio.
What tenants and landlords should know
Under a recent change in Georgia law, many landlords must now give tenants a written demand before filing for nonpayment. That effectively creates a short window for renters to catch up on missed payments before a case is filed in court, as explained in coverage of recent state legislation by WALB. After that point, county clerks assess filing fees that vary by jurisdiction.
Local reporting places a typical eviction filing fee in the $54 to $75 range, though county fee schedules can run higher. Procedures and costs differ from county to county, so both tenants and landlords are advised to confirm the details with the magistrate clerk where the property is located. County court websites, including the Fulton County Magistrate Court, publish local rules, forms and how-to information for dispossessory cases.
Racial disparities and local impact
The Eviction Lab’s breakdown makes the racial gap hard to ignore. Roughly 77,249 filings over the past year involve Black renters, even though Black households represent a smaller share of the metro area’s population than their share of eviction cases would suggest. Those filing patterns track with higher housing instability, steeper barriers to finding new housing and a cascade of harms for children and families, issues flagged in the lab’s regional analysis, according to Eviction Lab.
Policy and relief options
Researchers with Eviction Lab and local housing advocates say the data should be a wake-up call for city and county leaders. The numbers, they argue, point to the need for more targeted rental assistance, expanded court-based help for tenants and faster production of affordable units in the neighborhoods getting hit hardest.
On the ground, some of that work is already happening. Atlanta Legal Aid runs eviction-prevention intake across all five counties, connecting eligible renters with legal help and rental support. The Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation staffs courthouse clinics where tenants can get assistance drafting answers and asserting legal defenses, efforts highlighted in coverage by WSB Radio.
The Eviction Lab figures offer a blunt snapshot of displacement in a region that continues to grow. Local advocates say those numbers should serve as a roadmap for steering emergency aid and legal resources in the coming months. For tenants, one rule is nonnegotiable: do not ignore a dispossessory notice. Anyone served with court papers should contact a qualified legal-aid provider, review instructions from the county magistrate clerk and respond before deadlines run out.
