JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Duval County is the eviction capital of Florida, according to a study released by the University of North Florida Wednesday. The study says there are seven evictions filed in court for every 1000 renters in Duval.
That's about double the number for Miami-Dade and Pinellas Counties. The study says Orange County has 5.8 eviction filings per 1000 renters; Hillsborough has 4.7.
Data from 2022 shows renters in the Arlington and Westside areas of Jacksonville are most likely to face eviction.
Four in every ten households in Jacksonville are renters, and they're up against rising costs. The study shows that from 2020 to 2023, the median overall rent in the county for a one bedroom went from $1103 to $1409. That's a 27.7% increase.
The study concludes: "The rent increases over this period have been among the highest in the nation among major metropolitan areas."
To afford rent in Duval County without being cost burdened (which means they are spending more than 30% of their income on rent), a renter has to make $25.06 an hour or more. Only 47% of Duval renters meet that threshold -- leaving 53% cost burdened.
The study also says that less than 50% of jobs in Jacksonville do not pay enough for renters to comfortably afford their rent.
The UNF researchers who conducted the study write that this project is meant "to highlight the broad scope of of the economic challenge facing tenants in a relatively low wage economy alongside sharply rising rent."
To read the full study, click here.