The Idaho Policy Institute at Boise State University conducted comprehensive eviction research for 2020, analyzing court records from the Idaho Supreme Court to track formal evictions across all 44 Idaho counties including Shoshone County. In 2020, 1,893 Idaho renting households had an eviction filing and 1,127 were formally evicted, representing a statewide formal eviction rate of 0.6 percent. The research revealed a significant 30 percent decrease in eviction filings compared to 2019, primarily attributed to court closures, federal eviction moratoriums, emergency rental assistance programs, and unemployment benefits implemented during the coronavirus pandemic.
Eviction filings reached their lowest point in April 2020 due to court closures ordered by the Idaho Supreme Court. When courts reopened in May 2020, researchers observed a sharp spike in both eviction filings and formal evictions as landlords filed cases that had accumulated during the closure period. The monthly fluctuations throughout 2020 reflected various policy and aid responses to the pandemic, though researchers noted that by year’s end, monthly eviction filings were approaching pre-pandemic levels, suggesting federal, state, and local mitigation programs were unable to help the majority of households facing eviction proceedings.
The Idaho Policy Institute calculates formal eviction rates by dividing the number of households with formal evictions by the total number of renting households in each county. Data for each eviction case includes county, filing date, plaintiff and defendant names, case outcome, and whether the case involved serial evictions where a household received multiple filings within the same calendar year. The institute adapted its methodology from research conducted by The Eviction Lab at Princeton University, focusing specifically on household evictions while excluding all defendants with commercial names from analysis.
Shoshone County, located in northern Idaho’s Silver Valley region, had a 2020 census population of 13,169 residents. The county has a median household income of $49,975 and a poverty rate of 15.09 percent. The Idaho Policy Institute created an interactive map displaying county-level eviction data alongside census demographics, allowing researchers and policymakers to examine eviction patterns across Idaho’s diverse geographic and economic landscape. While specific 2020 eviction numbers for Shoshone County were not publicly detailed in the institute’s statewide infographic, the data remains accessible through their interactive mapping tool maintained on their website.
The study defines formal evictions as cases where courts order tenants to leave their residences, distinct from informal evictions where tenants voluntarily depart under threat of legal action. Informal evictions occur across Idaho but remain difficult to measure as they happen outside the court system, often before paperwork is filed or before scheduled court dates. The Idaho Policy Institute’s research tracks only formal evictions processed through court proceedings, providing a baseline measurement that likely underrepresents the total number of households experiencing housing displacement.
The 2020 eviction study represented the second year of annual tracking by the Idaho Policy Institute, following their inaugural 2019 research that established baseline eviction rates across the state. Research Associate Ben Larsen noted that no single state or federal program contributed solely to the decline in filings, with the largest dip occurring in April when the Idaho Supreme Court delayed hearings including evictions for nonpayment of rent. The institute continues conducting annual eviction studies to monitor trends and provide policymakers with data-driven insights into housing instability patterns affecting Idaho residents across all income levels and counties.