Interactive maps from an ongoing study of evictions in Washington state illustrate striking patterns in the Puget Sound region, including the way evictions continue to disproportionately impact people of color.
The study is a joint project between the University of Washington and University of California, Berkeley. For the past few years, researchers have been collecting eviction filings from Washington courts and tracking them alongside geographic and demographic data.
These maps illustrateeviction rates along with other information in Whatcom, Snohomish, King and Pierce counties between 2004 and 2017.
One trend that becomes clear looking at the maps is the way the risk of eviction has shifted from some parts of the region as racial demographics also have shifted.
For example, as black and Latino households have been pushed out of central Seattle and into south King County, the risk of eviction has decreased in the urban core and increased in the south suburbs.
Tim Thomas, the principal investigator on the Evictions Study, says this trend can be traced back to housing segregation and redlining.
"Those legacies targeted households of color, forcing them to not be able to participate in the building of the middle class," Thomas said.
Data also ties this trend to broader inequality in the region. Another observation from the study is that the risk of getting evicted is generally higher outside of Seattle's urban core. Pierce, Cowlitz and Benton counties have the highest eviction risk compared to the rest of the state.
Part of the reason might be attributed to stronger tenant protections in Seattle and King County compared to other parts of the state. But another aspect is stark disparities in wealth, Thomas says.
"Another way to put that is if you can't afford to live in King County, you're more likely to be evicted," Thomas said.
Thomas and his team are advocating for stronger tenant protections statewide. Washington lawmakers are considering some of those reforms during this legislative session.
