February 26, 2026
A study suggests that the conditions that once fueled Metro Atlanta’s reputation as the “Black Mecca” for its low housing costs and strong job market, may now be a thing of the past.
Atlanta has seen more than 144,000 eviction filings in the last year, the most in the nation, according to new data released by The Eviction Lab.
The Princeton University-based research firm analyzed 572,679 rental units across Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett Counties, with an average rent of $1,739 per month.
“The numbers are mind-blowing in Atlanta‚” Princeton’s Grace Hartley told WSBTV News.
Atlanta landlords have more evictions than all of New York City. Hartley notes that New York City has roughly four times as many renters as Georgia’s capital city.
Matthew Nursey has firsthand experience with eviction. After losing his job, he was unable to cover rent costs. The incident, which he describes as “humiliating,” led him to become a housing advocate to help others facing similar circumstances.
“Sixty percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. A lot of us are just one emergency away from being in a precarious housing situation,” he told WSBTV News.
The study also found that several complexes in Atlanta became frequent evictors, and six of them alone evicted more than 300 people in the past year. The evictions stay on record for seven years, which makes it more difficult for potential renters to find new homes and may subject them to higher rents and upfront fees.
Eviction Lab reports that Atlanta’s legal framework favors landlords much more than in cities like New York or Philadelphia. Landlords in Atlanta pay lower filing fees for eviction cases and must give tenants less notice. Additionally, some major cities, including New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, have landmark Right to Counsel (RTC) programs for low-income tenants that help reduce evictions. Georgia does not offer RTC protections for tenants, making it more expensive for them to contest evictions.
Sarah Johnson, a research specialist for the Eviction Lab who was involved in processing data for the metro Atlanta region, notes that Black renters are disproportionately affected by evictions. Johnson points out that Black renters make up 53% of all renters, but they account for 71% of eviction filings.
“I think that it does deserve more investigation and studies, and I’m hoping that us bringing this data to life will help encourage people to look more into why are eviction filings in Atlanta are so high,” Johnson told WABE.
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