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2025 saw more evictions than ever in Washington state

Posted on February 26th, 2026 By: Conor Wilson

Washington saw another record level of eviction filings in 2025, a sign that many tenants across the state are struggling to afford housing costs.

Data provided by the Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid showed 23,969 eviction filings last year. That is the highest total dating back to at least 2013.

“If you look at the overall trend, you’re seeing historic highs in the amount of unlawful detainer [eviction] filings in Washington state right now,” said Philippe Knab, an eviction defense program manager at the state office of Civil Legal Aid.

Growth slows

Growth in evictions slowed in 2025. Statewide, there were 670 – or about 3% – more last year than in 2024. By comparison, the year-over-year growth was 40% in 2024 and 58% in 2023.

“I don’t think it’s skyrocketing anymore,” Knab said. “But I think that we’re certainly seeing a continued slight elevation or a homeostasis.”

Over half of the state’s eviction cases were in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, which all set record highs in 2025. Pierce County saw 3,655 evictions, 87 more than in 2024.

Neighboring Kitsap County had 547 evictions. That is 54 fewer than in 2024, but higher than any other point dating back to 2016.

No new trends

Ben Ramm, an attorney for Kitsap Legal Aid Services who handles eviction cases, wouldn’t attribute the data to any new trends since last year.

Ramm said he rarely has to litigate an eviction case. Instead the agency focuses on helping individuals connect with services and “softening the landing.” That, he says, is a recognition that in many cases, especially those involving high amounts of unpaid rent, “a lot of problems cannot be addressed by an attorney.”

Cecily Jurman, an attorney for Tacomaprobono, an agency that handles eviction cases in Pierce County, said the high number of fillings was frustrating but it is impossible to point to any one factor as the cause.

“Historically, Pierce County filing numbers seemed to come in waves and were sort of predictable (high numbers in the summer and lower numbers during the holidays),” she wrote in an email. “The 2025 filing data seems to show a different trend — that the waves aren’t occurring as predictably and high numbers remain consistent — even seeing more filings during the holidays.”

Moratorium ends

Evictions have skyrocketed in Washington since a moratorium, designed to keep people housed during the COVID-19 public health crisis, ended in 2021. Case filings last year, for example, were up 57% from 2019.

The growth comes despite the Legislature enacting its right-to-counsel program. The first-in-the-nation initiative, adopted four years ago, required that everyone facing eviction receive a court-appointed attorney.

The common thinking was that the program would help lower the number of evictions. But has not been the case, largely because many individuals facing the threat of an eviction do not participate in the legal process.

Instead of trying to navigate a confusing system — in addition to dealing with stress, fear, logistical barriers or missed rent — some renters just to not respond to a summons or appear at court hearings. When that happens, their case ends in a default judgment.

A study authored by researchers at University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, which reviewed 1,870 eviction cases across six counties in Washington over a two-month span in 2024, found 37.5% ended in defaults.

“The Legislature created the right-to-counsel program without fundamentally reforming the eviction process,” said Will von Geldern, a doctoral candidate who authored that report.