Eviction filings across Minnesota remain alarmingly high in early 2026, with 6,402 cases filed statewide in Quarter 1 (Q1), a 0.5% increase over 2025, the highest filing year on record, and nearly 10% above the recent average. January and February were likely tempered by an extraordinary outpouring of mutual aid, but as those resources dry up, March filings jumped 18.7% compared to last year. Renters are still feeling the impacts of peak Metro Surge conditions, and deeper, local data is available below.
Quarter 1 (Q1: January/February/March) 2026 eviction data shows a familiar and troubling pattern: filings remain persistently high across Minnesota, even when month-to-month fluctuations suggest short-term dips. Statewide, 6,402 eviction cases were filed between January and March, (a slight increase (+0.5%) over Q1 2025), but significantly elevated compared to the 2023–2025 average (+9.5%). This reinforces what we’ve been seeing over the past several years: evictions are not spiking due to a single crisis moment, but rather are remaining structurally high.
Looking more closely at the monthly trends, January (-9.2%) and February (-2.3%) filings came in slightly below 2025 levels. These lower numbers likely reflect an extraordinary, and unsustainable, outpouring of mutual aid, as communities stepped up to keep people housed during an especially intense period. January and February also marked the height of Metro Surge conditions. While there may now be fewer visible signs of that surge, renters are still living with the financial and housing instability it created, as well as a continued fear of government intervention.
By March, we begin to see what happens as those supports start to fall away. Statewide filings jumped 18.7% compared to March 2025, more than offsetting earlier declines and pushing totals back in line with last year’s record pace. We are also hearing directly from mutual aid groups that funds are drying up, meaning fewer renters are able to access the emergency support that helped stabilize the beginning of the year.
This March increase is especially concerning as it may signal growing financial strain heading into spring and summer months, historically a time when eviction filings often accelerate.
At the regional level, the split between the 7-county metro and Greater Minnesota highlights how widespread these pressures are:
- 7-County Metro: Filings rose 2.6% compared to 2025 and are 13.9% above the recent average. March filings alone jumped 18.9% year-over-year, mirroring the statewide spike. This suggests that even in areas with the most concentrated resources and organizing, eviction pressures are intensifying as temporary supports fade.
- Greater Minnesota (outside the metro): Filings are down 7.0% compared to 2025 overall, but still show a sharp 18.3% increase in March compared to last year. Notably, Greater Minnesota is the only region currently below its recent average (-4.9%), but March’s spike signals that the same pressures seen in the metro are beginning to take hold across the state.
At the local level, the data becomes even more nuanced:
- Minneapolis saw a 1.7% increase in Q1 filings compared to 2025, with a striking 60.3% spike in March filings after lower numbers earlier in the quarter. While this large spike can, in part, be attributed to the 30-day pre-eviction notice ordinance going into effect in Minneapolis in 2025 (demonstrating that pre-eviction notice periods work as intended), it does not constitute the entire spike. Overall, filings are still 3.4% above the recent average, indicating sustained pressure despite some variability.
- St. Paul filings rose slightly (+0.7%) compared to 2025, and are significantly higher than the 2023–2025 average (+12.8%). March again stands out, with a 7.7% increase year-over-year, continuing a pattern of elevated filings.
- Hennepin County filings were essentially flat compared to 2025 (0.0% change), but remain 8.0% above the three-year average. March filings jumped 31.1% year-over-year, underscoring how quickly eviction activity can surge even after slower months.
- Ramsey County experienced one of the most notable increases, with filings up 8.8% compared to 2025 and nearly 20% above the recent average. Unlike other areas, increases were more consistent across all three months, pointing to sustained and growing pressure on renters.
Across these geographies, a consistent pattern emerges: temporary supports helped suppress filings early in the year, but as those supports recede, eviction filings rebound, often sharply.
This raises serious concerns about what lies ahead. If January and February represent what is possible when communities mobilize significant mutual aid, and March represents what happens when those resources begin to run out, then the coming months may bring even steeper increases. Without sustained intervention, renters who have been holding on through informal, community-based support systems will face increasing risk of displacement.
Ultimately this comes down to what we as a community believe is a reasonable number of eviction filings. How many of our neighbors must face threats of displacement given that we already know what the impacts of homelessness cause for families, and when it’s abundantly clear the costs of preventing an eviction pales in comparison to shelters and re-housing?
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