Some experts on Arizona’s rising eviction rates stop short at saying Maricopa County leads the nation at ousting people from their homes. Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at Arizona State University released a report saying “Maricopa County leads the nation in evictions, boasting a rate of nearly twice the national average” and said Arizona has among “the highest housing loss rates” in the country.
By Brent Ruffner | YourValley
Some experts on Arizona’s rising eviction rates stop short at saying Maricopa County leads the nation at ousting people from their homes.
Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at Arizona State University released a report saying “Maricopa County leads the nation in evictions, boasting a rate of nearly twice the national average” and said Arizona has among “the highest housing loss rates” in the country.
But Scott Davis, spokesman for the Maricopa County Justice Courts, said eviction data may be incomplete.
“I am not saying Maricopa County does not lead the nation,” Davis said. “I am just suggesting that the data may be incomplete because not all jurisdictions report statistics in the same way or to the same places. I would think researchers who want to accurately characterize who actually does lead the nation in evictions have a significant mountain to climb because of gaps in data collection and reporting. How comprehensive is the data being used to draw these conclusions?”
Officials at Maricopa County Justice Courts track data for cases that include traffi c citations, DUI offenses and civil case filings.
Davis said it’s easy to see why Maricopa County would have high eviction numbers because the county is the fourth largest in the U.S., he said.
