A version of the following article appeared in the April 20, 2026 edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Rapid rise in housing costs is contributing to the uptick in eviction orders
by Ashley Fahey
More people are getting evicted from their homes as the cost of housing rises, according to a new report examining housing in Mecklenburg County.
In fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025), there were nearly 53,000 eviction cases in Mecklenburg County, a 14% increase from the prior year.
Of those, about 66% — or 34,000 cases — resulted in eviction orders granted in part or in whole. That’s up from more than 29,000 eviction orders the year prior.
Additionally, in 2024, half of Mecklenburg County renters were considered cost-burdened, which means a household is spending more than 30% of its income on housing costs. Nearly 1 in 4 renter households in the county are severely cost-burdened, meaning they spend 50% or more of their income on housing costs.
Justin Tucker of Legal Aid of North Carolina said during a presentation of the report last week that the uptick in evictions is particularly alarming because “it’s going to follow you for the rest of your life in this state.”
“There’s no way to get an eviction off your record,” even if it’s dismissed, Tucker added. “It’s a real barrier.”
Michael Englehart, who manages the city’s Housing Trust Fund, said the rapid rise of housing costs in Mecklenburg means that what a 60% AMI unit — housing that’s affordable for a household earning 60% of the area median income — rented at five years ago is very different from what it is today.
An increase in AMI levels means an increase in cost-burdened renters and, eventually, eviction filings, he continued.
Even when new affordable housing gets built, those units aren’t necessarily available to anyone considered low income. Owners and property managers frequently consider factors such as credit history, income and, yes, eviction records for a prospective tenant to qualify.
“Getting into one of those units can be a huge challenge,” Englehart said. “It’s quite depressing when you think about it. These developments may not be providing opportunities for the most disadvantaged.”
The report found the sharpest increase in renters considered cost-burdened was not actually within the lowest income brackets. Renters who earn less than $50,000 annually are almost all cost-burdened. But the share of cost-burdened individuals in Mecklenburg who earn between $50,000 and $74,999 annually has grown the most of all income levels since 2014: 11% were considered cost-burdened in 2014, which has since risen to 68% in 2024.