Evictions Surge In America’s Hottest Cities

According to a new study from Princeton’s Eviction Lab, tenant eviction notices have surged in three huge US cities where summer temperatures are routinely above 100 degrees F. In its most recent study, the most recent study measured evictions against pre-pandemic levels.
Urban Problems –New York Overheated
Filing counts in Houston rose 42% from July 2023 to June 2024 compared to the pre-pandemic level and hit 82,957. The figure for Las Vegas was up 43% to 47,741. The Phoenix figure was up 35% to 86,582.Â
Heat And The Cost Of Living
According to the research paper “The effect of extreme temperatures on evictions.” published in SSRN, “We find that extreme heat days result in a statistically significant increase in evictions, while extreme cold days do not have the same relationship. To explain these findings, we show that energy expenditures are more sensitive to extreme heat than extreme cold…” In other words, high energy bills eat into the money available for essentials, including food, clothing, transportation, and housing.
The data show another aspect of climate change’s costs and financial effects. These also include the cost of damage from storms and hurricanes. Insurance in climate change-affected areas has also spiked recently.
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